Surrogate Of Seduction
by 01SonAmy01
Summary: Amy is used to little male attention so when a new guy shows interest she seems happy. But Sonic doesn't trust him and the sparks fly. Who is the new guy and what does he really want? And has Sonic really lost Amy's love? SonAmy with a little AmyXOC
1. Acceptance from the Unaccepted

**Surrogate Of Seduction **

_Amy Rose is accustomed to getting no male attention at all, so when a new face shows interest in her she seems happy. But Sonic begins acting strangely towards her and her new friend, and the sparks fly. Could Eggman be involved in this? Who is the new man in her life and what does he really want?_

**This is the first chapter of my story :) I've had the plan of this story for at least a year now and I drew a comic of some of it...but it was awful so I gave up =P But then dear old FanFiction came into my life, and here we are :D So I hope you enjoy it, even though it involves my OC, Jecht. If you know don't know much about him, take a peep at his bio on my profile, it will help ;) So anyways please read, review and hopefully you'll like it so far...it's gonna be a longish story ;P**

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Chapter 1 – Acceptance from the Unaccepted

The sunlight coated the outside world, bathing it in a warm glow. The grass seemed to beam brighter and the sweet calls of tiny flickies could be heard in the summer air. Many people were strolling through the open fields or just relaxing amongst the flowers, enjoying the weather. But not every citizen of Mobius could lie about all day. Some had to work hard to earn their keep, and some had to walk around in the headquarters of an evil genius. Jecht the Hedgehog found himself doing just that. Despite the lack of windows, he knew how beautiful it was outside. It was the very opposite of his own environment; pastel grey walls without an ounce of decoration, excluding the odd metal door with a password lock. The only colourful thing was Jecht himself, his forest green fur sticking out from the dull wall paper.

He paced onwards, his steps echoing on the cold floor. After a quick check of the surroundings, he turned into yet another corridor, a neutral expression on his face. He walked for several minutes, contemplating his deal with the evil doctor which was soon to be confirmed, he hoped. Being accepted by another person - no matter how maniacal they seemed – was on offer too tempting to ignore. His trail of thoughts led him to images of his childhood. A six-year-old Jecht sobbing in the corner, alone… He brushed the memory aside angrily. Emotions could not interfere with his life now. They were pointless weaknesses, he knew.

He finally reached the largest door in the building, embossed with the symbol of Dr. Eggman's head. He raised an eyebrow at the hideous icon, before pushing open one half of the metal barricade and stepping inside. A distinct scratchy voice reached his ears.

"Welcome, Jecht. Please do come closer and we can begin to discuss." Jecht looked up through his bang quills, slowly moving towards the source of the doctor's voice. The room was bigger than the rest, and full of broken or half-completed robots. His lilac-blue eyes scanned over them with mild interest as he sauntered over to the huge chair in the far end of the room. It suddenly spun around to face him, revealing the obese human. His lengthy moustache was curved slightly downwards and his tinted blue goggles masked his eyes. Jecht settled to standing with his weight shifted onto one leg, leaning slightly as the man spoke.

"So…I understand that you wish to join forces with me."

"You're considering my offer?" asked Jecht. His eagerness was covered by his cool expression.

"Perhaps. I'd like you to complete a little task for me first. If you agree, then I will enrol you into our…team." Jecht nodded.

"Sure. What have you got in mind?" He imagined the possibilities that Eggman might have come up with. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know what it was that the doctor spent most of his time doing, aside from trying to defeat Sonic. '_But that doesn't matter,_' he thought. '_He's taking me on…I'll do whatever it takes to stay here; I need this. Crazy or not, he's the only person in the world who's willing to join with me, no matter what I've done or how I seem._'

Dr. Eggman beamed from behind his oversized moustache.

"I assume you know Sonic the Hedgehog?" he asked. Jecht shrugged carelessly.

"Yeah, I've seen him around." Eggman's expression became slightly agitated by simply mentioning the blue blur.

"Then you will know that of course I am his nemesis and I want him _crushed_. That hog has somehow managed to thwart all of my schemes, despite how ingenious they were. But I've been doing my research and the key to this puzzle is clear: I need more information about him, and the best way to get that is through someone that is always with him or thinking about him," he concluded. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled photograph. He handed it to the green hedgehog, who examined it sceptically. It showed a pretty pink hedgehog, with bright green eyes and a red dress, clinging to Sonic. Her mouth was open and her eyes were shining with happiness; she was laughing. He was grinning nervously, one eye closed. Jecht felt a sharp pang of jealousy at how care-free they looked, but ignored it as Eggman continued.

"The pink hedgehog you see there is Amy Rose. She is constantly attached to our little Sonic and therefore will know the most about him," he explained, a greedy glint in his eye. "Your mission… is to get information from her. I want to know his skills, I want to know where he spends his time, I want to know about every miniscule detail of what he does and what his weaknesses are. If he even blinks, I want to be informed, you understand?" he said sharply. Jecht nodded. "Of course I'm already aware of his fear of water, but that is proving to be difficult to use in my plans."

"Wouldn't she suspect something? And I don't think Sonic would want me talking to her. It would all be too risky." The doctor merely grinned patronisingly.

"Perhaps you're missing something here. There's nothing between _those two_. It's completely one-sided so there will be no problems from that hedge-rat."

"But I can't just go up to her and interrogate her!" Eggman sighed.

"Jecht! You have to get closer to her. You used to be an actor, didn't you? So use your skills; charm her. Slowly reel her in; she'll soon talk." Jecht opened his mouth to protest, hesitated and closed it again. The task was simple enough, and if it meant a place in the doctor's team then it was worth it. he gave a final nod of agreement, causing Eggman to smile again, flashing his teeth.

"Splendid!" He handed Jecht a large stack of papers, his tone turning brisk. "You can start right away! All the details that you'll need are filed in there. Fill the information into these forms and return them to me. Give me updates on your progress and any new information whenever possible." He spun in his chair back to face his control panel. "Now go!" Jecht said nothing, and slowly turned around to walk back out of the base. Eggman suddenly called to him, making him pause. "Jecht! Don't fail me… That would be a mistake." Jecht continued to trudge outside, reflecting on his discussion with the evil scientist.

'_I won't fail. I swear I will not mess this up, not for anything._'


	2. Hook, Line and Sinker

**Woopy woo, it's chapter 2! XD**  
**I decided to name it Hook, Line and Sinker because of how Amy reacts to Jecht... you'll see. Let's just say that it isn't true that flattery gets you nowhere... with Amy it does :P  
****Sorry if Sonic and Amy seem a little OOC, I did try but they had to act the way they do to make the story work. And you can't say that Jecht is OOC because: 1) You don't know him well enough yet :P 2) He has to ACT  
Okay no more of this hinting or whatever...reading time now! :)  
Oh oh and er disclaimer: I don't own the characters apart from Jecht.  
Please review if you can be bothered. If not... oh :( haha!**

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Chapter 2 – Hook, Line and Sinker

The morning passed; fading into noon and the weather stayed just as sunny. Amy smiled as she watched a sleeping Sonic twitch his ear. A bubbly excitement fizzed inside of her, just as it always did whenever she was around him. '_It was a great idea to come to the park,_' she thought happily. Her gaze turned appreciatively to Tails, who had planned for the group to spend the afternoon there. He was laughing on the swings with Cosmo, obviously enjoying himself. Amy felt pleased for the fox, and smiled again at the hero beside her, wishing for her own happiness with him. He stirred, slowly opening his eyes, making her jump. He yawned and lifted his head to face her, and she blushed. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed how close she was, and he shuffled away from her, turning to face the other direction. Her ears lowered as her smile turned upside down. The awkwardness churned her stomach, as Sonic stood up. He walked towards the trees, seeming oblivious to her existence. She sighed, letting her eyes fall to the ground.

She was completely unaware of the other hedgehog watching her, hovering just inside the park gate. He observed her for a moment, comparing her with the photo from Dr. Eggman. There was no mistaking it - that was her. He moved towards the bench, preparing himself. '_Time to turn on the charm_,' he thought. He sat next to her, casually crossing one leg over the other. "So, you're Amy Rose?" She glanced up at him, surprised.

"Yeah. Do you know me?" she asked. He flashed her a grin, knowing how good he looked.

"Well no but I'd like to," he drawled, his eyes dancing. He felt the small throb of triumph in his chest as her muzzle turned pink. '_This might not be so hard after all_.' "The name's Jecht by the way – that's Jecht the Hedgehog." She smiled at him.

"Wow that's a nice name!" she said.

"Well yours is too. I heard that it meant 'beauty'…and now that I've seen you I know that it must be true." She blushed harder.

"Oh... thank you."

Sonic watched the two other hedgehogs, a frown appearing on his face. Knuckles was slouched beside him, slightly amused at his friends expression. Sonic muttered aloud, fully aware that the echidna was listening. "Who _is_ that guy? Why is she letting him creep around her like that?"

"She seems to kind of like him," commented Knuckles.

"How can you say that? She obviously hates him!" Sonic shot back. Knuckles frowned.

"Because she's smiling and laughing," he pointed out, gesturing towards the two. Sonic looked at them, feeling a pang of annoyance.

"Trust me; it's just her mask of pain." Espio stepped beside Knuckles, raising an eyebrow at Sonic.

"I always thought that a smile symbolised happiness," he said. He exchanged glances with Knuckles, both of them turning back to the frustrated hedgehog, whose brow furrowed indignantly.

"That's just her good nature. She secretly wants to scream; she can't wait to get away from him!" Espio rolled his eyes and he swivelled round to walk back into the trees. "You guy don't know like I do!" Sonic cried. Knuckles grinned.

"How is it that you know her then, blue boy?" Sonic blushed.

"A- as a friend," he murmured. Knuckles sniggered and turned to face the direction that Espio had gone in.

"Okay, Sonic. But maybe you should hide the green monster next time, eh?" He smiled with triumph, chuffed that the tables had turned and that he had managed to wind up Sonic for once.

The cobalt hedgehog was speechless, not that he would have been able to think of a reply anyway. He suddenly realised how stupid he must have sounded, and calmed himself. Tails had overheard some of the conversation and his ears perked up in interest. He inched closer to his brotherly figure. "You know, he is right, Sonic. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous." Sonic's eyes widened a little.

'_Whoa, whoa, whoa… even _Tails _thinks that?_' He closed his eyes - trying to revert back to his casual self – and laughed nervously. "Hey, Tails buddy. I'm not jealous of that guy." He eyed the new hedgehog again. "He's the colour of a swamp!" Tails sighed at him.

"That's not exactly what I meant," he said quietly.

Amy smiled sweetly at the male beside her. '_He certainly is good looking_.' "So how did you know my name?" she asked cheerfully. Jecht smiled back at her, a grin similar to Sonic's.

"You're a friend of Sonic's, right?" He noticed her blush faintly at the mention of him.

"Yeah! Me and Sonic are very close," she said. "Do you know him too?" He smirked.

'_This is going to be even easier than I thought. She makes the subject about him automatically; all I have to do is take it all in._' He responded, with added confidence. "Sure I know him. Everybody does, right? Man, his speed is amazing. I guess that's all he needs to defeat Eggman?" He paused, awaiting her reaction. He hoped that he hadn't been too obvious. If she got suspicious then it would be over.

"Well yeah, his speed does help him a lot. But he's strong, too. And Eggman never learns from his mistakes. You'd think that he'd actually try making some faster robots, or ones that could use quicker laser beams or something." Jecht's face lit up.

'_I knew it. She's almost too easy to trick._' He subtly reached for his cell phone, and typed 'FASTER ROBOTS' as a reminder. She peeped over his shoulder.

"Who are you texting?" she asked. He answered instantly.

"Just my boss." Her eyes sparkled inquisitively.

"What do you do?" He kept his expression cool, looking into her eyes the whole time.

"I'm an actor," he replied. "I do pantomimes, comedies, Shakespeare, you name it." Her smile broadened.

"I love Shakespeare!"

'_Typical._' He flashed her a dazzling smile, and quoted what he could remember. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." She was still smiling giddily. He winked. He looked good and he knew it.

Sonic, who had been watching the recital, scowled at the other male. "Hah! Anyone can recite poetry!" Tails glanced at his brother's vehement gaze that was lined with annoyance. He smiled consciously. Sonic was always rejecting the very idea of having feelings for Amy; and yet, if someone else got close to her, he flared up. The two-tailed fox shook his head.

'_This is all going to end in tears,_' he thought. And although he didn't know it, he was partly right.

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**Now you see what I mean? Amy is a little bit gullible in this chapter, but I'm not done yet, so get used it. X)  
Besides, in my opinion, I think that she would let flattery sway her a bit. If you don't agree, sorry :[  
Oh and I know that maybe it's moving a little slowly now, and it might just take 1 or more chapters before the juicy stuff, but it'll be worth it :D  
Reviews are appreciated ^_^**


	3. Sonic Or No Sonic

**Sorry it took a little while but chapter 3 is here now :) I named it Sonic or no Sonic because .. you'll see at the end (it's nothing amazing or terrible sorry :P) This chapter is still showing some tension with Sonic, which is only goin to get worse, lemme tell ya! Don't worry, I have planned the whole thing and it's going to get more exciting soon. I wish I could say more, but alas, I prefer to let you guess :) Mwa ha ha ha ha**

**Oh and sorry I forgot to thank reviewers :O I usually reply to reviews because if you take the time to review, I should take the time to reply back, right? :) If I don't then you can get very very angry and write me an angry letter telling me how angry you are :P **Even though I hope you wouldn't haha! **Anyway, thank you _IHeartSonAmy, lolsmith, silverdawn2010_ and _ColurfulStar_ for your reviews! I love hearing from you and it makes me smile :D  
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**So I hope you enjoy this chapter, reviews are appreciated :) **

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Chapter 3 – Sonic Or No Sonic

The last hour and a half at the park was not exactly Sonic's idea of fun. Tails had left him to go and play with Cosmo, the Chaotix gang never really did anything useful anyway, and who knew where Knuckles was? Of course Sonic would have then turned to Amy, knowing for sure that she'd be glad to spend time with him, but then that green hedgehog had to show up. Watching that guy creep around her was making him feel strangely irritated. So he'd spent the remaining time sulking to himself, acting as if it were nothing to do with them; although, almost everybody had seen right through it. When the mossy-coloured hedgehog had finally got up and left - after having winked at Amy in a way that made Sonic tense himself – the blue blur had been relieved. He sauntered up to her casually. She beamed at him.

"So…who was that you were talking to?" he asked.

"Oh, his name's Jecht," she announced. He nodded, still trying to look cool and calm, as always.

"You know him?" She glanced sideways, obviously feeling awkward.

"Well, I guess… I do now!" she giggled. He couldn't conceal his frown.

"So a random guy started talking to you?"

"Erm…yeah. What's wrong with that?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"A lot of things," he said, trying to sound as if he wasn't bothered that much, and failing. Now it was her turn to frown.

"Since when did you care who I talk to?" He opened his mouth, pausing for a moment.

"I…I don't. What makes you think I do?" She smiled.

"A lot of things." He ended up mirroring her expression, grinning playfully as she walked back down the path.

'_I don't know what I was worrying about. So she met someone new, so what? She'd never let another guy come between us, and neither will I._' His smile grew happily at that thought, as he reflected over their relationship. He didn't even care about the occasional concerned look, which he got from the passers-by as he went home to Tails' workshop.

The next week was awaited in anticipation, as he always looked forward to the future. 'Another day, another adventure,' he would say. He woke up early for a morning run, and whizzed back again. He grinned at himself in the mirror, showing his trademark thumbs-up gesture, as usual. Tails was working on the X-Tornado, as usual. Cosmo and Amy were there, as – wait, what? '_Amy?_ _Now there's something that isn't always the usual routine_,' he thought cheerfully. He zoomed over to her, skidding to halt in front of her, with a fading blue streak behind him. "Hey, Amy." Her eyes shone as they met with his.

"Hi, Sonic." He felt his heart speed up, as he tried to calm it. it was so loud, he was certain she could hear it.

"What are you up to today?" he asked. She was about to answer when a loud buzz sounded out from her dress pocket. She jumped, before smiling apologetically.

"Hang on a sec," she said, pulling out her phone and reading the screen. Her eyes suddenly widened, a blush working its way across her cheeks.

Sonic eyed her face suspiciously. He leaned closer to her, desperately trying to read the screen. She noticed him and held it at arm's length. His own cheeks reddened a little, as he realised his invasion of her privacy, but he persisted. "Who was that?" he asked. Her gaze darted to the floor.

"Oh…nobody," she said, unable to hide her discomfort. He raised an eyebrow playfully, lowering the other to form a confused look.

"I didn't think you had a friend called 'Nobody.'" He winked. She was unimpressed.

"I don't – but no one sent me a message." His eyes narrowed slightly, still retaining his cheer.

"Come on, Amy. You don't have to hide anything, you know. We're good friends, right?" He felt his humour slipping away as he considered what he'd said. _Friends? _He sighed mentally. '_Yeah, friend._' She looked down again, as if she was wincing at the word. Her mouth stayed closed, as she considered a reply, but he beat her to it. "Wait…it was that Jecht dude, wasn't it?" He sensed the frustration rising again, which was only increased when she said nothing, gazing awkwardly into the corner. There was a small pinch of disappointment in his voice, as well as surprise.

"You gave him your number?" he exclaimed incredulously. She returned her eyes to his, annoyed.

"Yes, I did! So what?"

"So you can't go around giving your number to people you meet in the park!"

"I can do exactly as I please!" she screeched. "I'm not going to apologise for having a social life!" His voice became louder, increasing with his exasperation.

"But you don't know him!"

"I know him enough," she said, her anger seeping away from her voice. Her expression became calmer, almost pleading to him. He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes to dismiss the subject.

"Never mind," he said quietly, looking up again to look at her, a smile working its way onto his face.

"I'm… I'm kind of bored." He paused. '_She knows what I'm trying to say, right?_' Her face was clear of the quick temper that had infected it, but was now laced with confusion and interest. '_I guess not…_' He reformed his cool expression. "You want to hang out?" Her eyes lit up, making him feel unusually warm.

"Sure! I was actually going to the park again." His smile reaffirmed her confidence.

"Cool. Let's go." Her grin broadened as they walked out, waving to Tails.

They strolled along silently for a while, both with a tingly happiness whizzing around inside of them. The sunlight fell through the tree branches, scattering beams on the forest floor. Amy watched the cocky hero contentedly. The light illuminated his features, displaying his gorgeous face. She relished in her thoughts of him, savouring their time together. It was already quite an accomplishment to get him to walk at a normal pace, putting aside the fact that he was there to be with _her_. She was so lost in her daydreaming that she'd forgotten her text from Jecht. His face invaded her mind, dragging her back to reality. She blinked. '_Oh no - Jecht! I forgot to tell Sonic that we're meeting him._' Nervousness lightly traced her thoughts as she considered Sonic's earlier reactions. He'd acted so weirdly. Perhaps he was just irritable, she argued with herself mentally. '_That's not important. I have to tell him either way._' She cleared her throat loudly enough to attract his attention which – unknown to her – she already had. "We're going to see Jecht there," she said. He halted his footsteps, a frown emerging onto his face.

Amy watched him closely, awaiting his reaction. He felt little twinges of annoyance as he pictured the green hedgehog. '_Why is _that _guy coming? He only met her yesterday!_' he thought. He searched his mind for an excuse. "Oh…sorry, Amy. I forgot I'm supposed to be helping Shadow with something today," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I'll catch you later!" he called, rushing off and leaving a faint blue line in the air.

She scowled, her brow furrowing in anger. Her distressed sigh was followed by a groan. "Oh… Sonic! Why do you have to do this?" she screamed. Her voice echoed through the trees and birds scattered from them, cawing indignantly. Her eyes followed them as they soared upwards. She was suddenly heaved by disappointment, as sadness dowsed her rage. "What's the point in trying to get Sonic to do anything?" she murmured to herself. "Sometimes we get really close, and then something happens or he rushes off and we're back to square one." She straightened, turning to face the pathway once again. She pushed aside her frustration, remembering her forthcoming day with Jecht. Before she knew what was happening, her legs were moving again, propelling her to the park, her thoughts remaining the same the whole way. '_Sonic or no Sonic, I'm going to enjoy myself_.' She paced faster, burning away the image of her love, her eyes full of determination. Little did she know that her new friend was waiting for her with quite a different objective to hanging out for the fun of it.

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**Sonic! Running off isn't the way to deal with things! So Amy's off to hang with Jecht and Sonic isn't too happy. Dum-dum-dummmm :P  
And I just realised that I haven't figured out what other info Jecht could get from Amy. If you guys have got any ideas, please PM me (not in a review because I might end up using the idea and then people would know what's gonna happen ;) ) But if you can't think of anything, that's cool, I'm sure I'll come with something. It isnt urgent anyway. **

**So I hope you liked the chapter! Sonic says review :P**


	4. Mr Fixit

**Chapter 4 arrives to a computer near you! :P Thank you, lolsmith, silverdawn2010, IHeartSonAmy and JazzTheHedgehogSingingStar for reviewing ;)**

**So in this chapter, Amy goes to see Jecht _without_ Sonic. What will he do next in his quest? :P How will Sonic react now? It's all on this page...  
Long chapter but that is for several reasons. 1) I decided I wanted to make my chapters longer anyway, so that you guys get bigger spoonfuls ^_^ 2) It works better this way 3) I'm off on holiday soon so this will the last update in about a week, sorry :P I'm sure you can survive without it until then.. but if you can't .. then oh. XD**

**Anyway, read on, dear friends, and unravel more of the tale (haha weird moment :P)**

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Chapter 4 – Mr Fix-it

Amy found Jecht on a swing, obviously deep in thought with a concentrated frown on his face. The rusted chains lined his head, somehow increasing his good looks. The sun was shining brightly on his back, and the gentle breeze ruffled his quills in a way that almost reminded her of Sonic. She gingerly sat on the swing beside him. "Hi," she said.

He spun around, his surprised expression morphing into confident charm. "Hey Amy." He noted the distress in her eyes. "You okay?"

She nodded, pleased with his concern. "I knocked for Sonic on the way; I thought you'd want to meet him."

Jecht felt his ears perk up at the mention of his prime focus. "So where is he? Isn't he coming?"

Her eyes narrowed. "He said he had to 'help Shadow with something'," she said, curling her two fingers like quotation marks.

Jecht looked down, annoyed. He was slightly peeved that he hadn't been able to come face to face with Sonic yet, but of course some things required patience. He needed to do his job properly. He contemplated the other male's absence.

Could he be jealous? he wondered. I'll have to look into that…

He raised his eyebrow at the thought of Sonic blowing her off. "You think he's lying?"

"I _know_ he is. I just don't understand why," she said quietly, clearly upset.

Jecht slowly put his arm around her, mentally wincing. Acting to care about her was important, he knew, but he hated to show consideration for anybody.

Caring lets you get hurt, he thought.

He quickly buried the emerging memories that tried to distract him, turning his attention to the girl beside him. His objective suddenly flashed into his mind, and he attempted to use the subject to his advantage. "Does Sonic usually do that?"

Amy looked up at him. "Well, to be honest he always ran from me. Whenever I managed to get closer to him he'd rush off as if nothing had happened."

Jecht frowned slightly, trying to analyse the information.

Perhaps he doesn't like her then… I definitely need to meet him to get a better understanding of him.

An idea sparked in his head.

Now to execute it properly…

"Hey, it doesn't matter. I'll spend time with you whenever you want," he drawled.

She smiled gratefully at him.

"How about you introduce me to your friends?"

She glanced at him, a little surprised. "Why?"

He laughed at her suspicion, although he was mentally unnerved. "I want to get to know you and your friends better. After all, friends of yours are friends of mine, right?" he said, aiming a dashing grin at her. Her eyes shone in response as she stood up, signalling for him to do the same.

After his terrible excuse, Sonic had zoomed straight back to Tails' workshop, where the fox was still tending to the X-Tornado with a spanner. He stood awkwardly behind his younger brother, noticeably quiet. "Hey, Tails," he said.

Tails spoke back to him, still focused intently on the plane. "Weren't you at the park with Amy?" he asked.

"Yeah…but it's alright, she's with that Jecht guy."

Tails' eyes finally left the plane for a moment, as he turned to face the hedgehog. His mouth tilted downwards and he cocked his head. "That's good, right? It's always nice to make new friends."

"Yeah but he wants to be more than friends if you ask me," muttered Sonic.

The little fox sent him a pitying look, with a hint of uncertainty. "Why didn't you want to go?"

Sonic frowned.

How can I say this? He already thinks I'm jealous.

He mentally laughed at the idea, although a tiny voice inside of him argued that it was true.

As if.

"I couldn't have gone, Tails," he said.

"Why not?"

He blinked, unsure. "Well…. Because I… you know." He shook his head, his quills swaying rapidly. "It doesn't matter," he said, before whizzing out.

Tails lifted a large green cable, biting his lip. He was sure that Sonic would be alright. Jecht couldn't be that bad, he was probably just finding it difficult.

Amy doesn't usually talk to any other guy but him, Tails thought. No wonder she's happy to have found someone to talk to.

"Now where do I connect this?" he murmured. He unexpectedly sensed someone watching him, and he dropped the wire, his ears perking up. He looked up to the left of him, and smiled at who he saw. Cosmo was standing timidly beside him. She was holding a steaming mug, her expression laced with curiosity.

"Hello, Tails," she greeted.

"Hey, Cosmo!" said Tails. He straightened.

"I thought you might like some hot chocolate," she said nervously.

He smiled gratefully, taking it from her, their hands brushing together. He blushed, noticing that she did too. "Thanks, Cosmo." He took a careful sip, and licked his lips appreciatively. "It's great! Is there mint in it?" he asked.

Cosmo nodded, pleased. "Yes. I knew you liked mint so I put some in. I'm glad you like it." They smiled at each other, connecting for a moment.

Tails looked at his machine again, observing it for solutions to his problem. He'd just found another wire to use when Amy walked in, closely followed by a deep green hedgehog. He lifted his head up to acknowledge them, scanning Jecht with mild interest.

Cosmo smiled at them, and Amy gestured to her friends. The green male swaggered over, with Amy next to him. She looked at Tails and Cosmo, still smiling cheerfully. "Cosmo, Tails, this is Jecht," she announced.

Cosmo nodded at Jecht shyly, welcoming him. Tails reached out with an oily-gloved hand and shook it with Jecht's. "Hi!" he said.

"Hey there." Jecht inspected the plane coolly. "What are you working on, Tails?"

"It's supposed to be an electric device to divide the energy from Chaos Emeralds into different outlets," Tails explained.

"But it won't function properly until the main turbine receives a signal from the power circuit, and to do that I'd need an adapter but that could implode too much energy which might blow the fuses altogether and cause other-" he paused, realising the intensity of what he'd just said. His hand flew to back of his head, and he chuckled nervously.

"Sorry, you didn't understand that did you?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Jecht grinned.

"Actually I understood every word. There's an easy way to fix it." He picked up the green wire. "All you have to do is attach this to the turbine and" – he flicked the switch – "hey presto!" he snapped his fingers, smirking triumphantly as the machine let out a whirring sound and began to work.

Tails' surprised expression turned to excitement as he beamed at the older hedgehog. "Wow! Thanks, Jecht! I didn't think of that!"

Amy looked equally pleased at her new friend's capabilities. She took his arm. "Come one, let me show the rest of my friends," she smiled.

Tails and Cosmo waved at them as they walked out. Tails was still beaming; thrilled that his invention was finally working.

Jecht smirked again as he strolled beside Amy.

I'll definitely meet Sonic this time, he thought. And then I'll get what I need in no time at all.

They found Cream in the garden, sitting at a small plastic table with several chairs around it. She was holding a brightly coloured teapot, chatting to a large brown teddy. Amy and Jecht walked over to her. She looked up at them, as Amy introduced him.

"Hi, Cream. This is Jecht."

Cream smiled and shook his hand politely, with the bear in her other hand. "Hello, Mr. Jecht."

"Hey, you can call me Jecht," he said. "Is this another friend of yours?" he joked to Amy, gesturing to the teddy.

She laughed, her pink quills swishing. "No. That's Mr. Bear isn't it, Cream?"

The little rabbit nodded, holding up the toy. "He's very pleased to meet you."

Jecht forced an amused smile, and pretended to shake its hand while Cream continued.

"But he's a bit sad because there are four chairs and only two of us." She glanced around the yellow table, before suddenly turning back to Jecht and Amy; her eyes alight with an idea. "Why don't you two join the tea party?"

Jecht felt a frown trying to work its way onto his expression. He fought it off, though, settling for a 'thinking' face.

Tea party? I haven't got time for a little tea party; I was supposed to meet Sonic now! he thought crossly.

He glanced at Amy, who had a concerned but hopeful look on her face.

Great. She wants me to, doesn't she? Ugh… I can't give up the smooth act. I guess I'll have to.

He almost shuddered with the idea of a tea party, but he put on a casual smile. "Sure, why not? We've got all day, right Amy?"

The pink hedgehog beamed at him, relieved. "Yeah!" She sat down on a small blue chair, as Cream and Jecht did the same.

He's being so patient, she thought happily.

It was true, it seemed. Jecht appeared to be one of the most amazing people that she'd ever met, besides Sonic. The three of them stayed there for almost an hour, Cream cheerfully pouring imaginary tea and talking to them about nothing in particular. With every passing minute Jecht grew slightly more agitated, getting nowhere in his assignment. Occasionally he'd try to guide to subject to Sonic, only to have it changed again by any random bee or butterfly that caught the young rabbit's attention.

When Amy finally stood up, Jecht was fighting to keep himself casual. She smoothed out the creases in her dress, gesturing for him to follow her. He waved a hand at Cream, before strolling behind the pink hedgehog. He glanced at her. "So do I get to meet big blue, now?" he asked, trying not to sound too eager. To his dismay she shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. It depends on who else we see."

He mirrored her action, to show that he wasn't bothered, which of course wasn't exactly true.

They'd been walking for a matter of minutes when they passed a large crocodile, a purple chameleon and a small hyper active bee. The crocodile and chameleon were sat on either side of a chess board set up in the grass, frowning in concentration while the bee floated around them, taunting the taller male. Amy grinned, halting her footsteps to talk to them. She stepped to the side, allowing a space for Jecht to stand there. "Guys, this is Jecht. Jecht, this is the Chaotix detective agency: Vector, Espio and Charmy."

Jecht greeted them all, once again displaying his laid-back smirk. He eyed the chess game, noticing that Vector was losing badly. He had few pieces left, arranged around Espio's king in his fruitless attempts to put him in check.

Jecht glanced at Vector. "You having trouble?"

The reptile closed his eyes, lifting his head defiantly. "It's not me who's having trouble. My detective intuition tells me that Espio's cheating!" he declared loudly.

Espio rolled his eyes. "I'm not cheating, Vector," he said calmly.

Vector ignored him, returning his focus on the game. Jecht moved closer to the board.

I guess I could help him a bit, he thought. It will boost my brownie points anyway.

Knowing that Amy would be even more pleased with him, he leaned over to Vector and whispered in his ear.

The crocodile blinked, confused. He then understood the hedgehog's hint and his eyes lit up. He snickered, lifting his queen and placing it opposite Espio's king, which was now fully surrounded.

"Check mate!" he crowed triumphantly. He knocked over the king and snatched it, chortling. "Looks like I beat you, Espio!"

Espio raised an eyebrow, stunned. He looked over the board, wondering how he'd missed the threat of Vector's queen. Charmy started buzzing faster.

"Whoa! You won? How did you do that?" he cried.

Vector put on a modest look, but puffed out his chest proudly. He began lecturing the little bee on the ultimate strategies that he'd used, or to put it mildly – he began making up rubbish about his lucky victory with added help.

Amy rested her gaze on Jecht, her mouth forming an amused smile. She bowed at the three detectives, taking his arm and walking away from the group. When they were out of earshot, she allowed herself to chuckle. "I can't believe you managed to help Vector win a game of chess. Now I've seen everything."

"Well, I try to help in any way I can," he said, his voice dripping with charm.

She giggled.

"So… are we seeing Sonic yet?"

Amy paused, searching the landscape. She smiled in recognition, before answering him. "Not yet," she said, pointing to the middle of the field. There was a red echidna and a white bat with a scowls set in their features. Jecht prevented himself from dragging her away, forcing on his casual expression. She ran over to them and he followed reluctantly. Her eyes widened slightly at their serious expressions. "Hey guys. I wanted you to meet Jecht," she said. She turned to the green hedgehog, gesturing to the two. "This is Knuckles and Rouge."

Jecht aimed his smile at them, hiding his annoyance. Knuckles nodded and Rouge eyed him in acknowledgement. They'd obviously had an argument, Jecht realised.

The bat eventually stretched out her hand, smirking at him, and he shook it. "Hello there, Jecht. It's nice to meet somebody who actually has some class for once." She shot a glance at Knuckles. "What a shame that some people don't have that."

The echidna's face reddened; Jecht could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

"You've got a damn cheek! Accusing _me _of stuff while you try and mooch glory from people!" he roared.

Jecht clicked his tongue quietly with impatience.

Looks like I'm going to need to sort this out too. And then that is _it_!

"Hey, hey, hey," he said, holding up his hands. "Cool it. There's no need to cause problems." He looked at Rouge. "This guy confuses you; that's why you end up annoying him. You don't know any other way to communicate with him because he makes you feel hopeless. But you need to tone it down a little. Try _not _to push all his buttons and give him a chance to understand." He then turned to Knuckles. "And you need to calm down. She winds you up, but yelling doesn't help. You should actually _listen_ to her, and it'll all make sense," he paused, letting his eyes meet with theirs. "You obviously care about each other, so show it a bit more," he concluded. They stared at him, realisation dawning on their faces. Their heads turned downwards, embarrassed, until Rouge walked closer to the echidna.

"He's right you know," she said softly.

Knuckles slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers, and nodded. "I er… I'm…sorry," he murmured, a dark blush spreading across his cheeks.

Rouge found that she was blushing too, shocked at herself for finally calming down and talking to him civilly. "Me too."

He held out his arms awkwardly, staring at the grass under his shoe. A grin stretched across her muzzle and she hooked her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "You're cute when you're shy," she whispered, making his cheeks even redder.

Amy's grin couldn't be any wider. "Oh my gosh!" she cried.

Jecht swivelled back to walk out of the field, and she ran after him, amazed.

"You got Knuckles and Rouge together?" Her eyes sparkled. "Now I really have seen everything!" She glanced at him shyly. "You're amazing," she breathed.

He laughed. "Mr. Fix-it is always glad to help," he said, winking at her.

Now if only I could fix my own problem…

"So now we're seeing Sonic, right?"

Amy's face seemed to light up at the mention of him. "Yep! You really want to meet him, don't you?"

He quickly scanned his mind for a response.

Damn it, too obvious, Jecht, _too obvious!_

He shrugged carelessly. "You're close to him, so I want to know more about him as well."

"That's great!" she gushed, hooking her arm around his. "He can't be far from here."

I will be soon, thought Sonic.

He kept well inside the bush that he was hiding in.

I'm not meeting him. Wait – do I even know _why_ I'm hiding here?

_Jealousy? _suggested a voice inside his head. He frowned, firmly rejecting the idea. Of course he wasn't jealous. He had no reason to be.

_He's with Amy._

Sonic swatted the voice out of his mind fiercely. All that mattered now was to sneak away before they noticed him…

"Sonic!" Amy yelled, running towards him.

He sighed.

Busted.

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**Tsk tsk, Sonic. You should know by now that hiding is useless :P**

**I tried really hard to make the characters act as they would, it might not be quite right but oh well, I tried :) I guess the point of this chapter was to show how Jecht is helping all of Sonic's friends, so they like him and etc etc you can kind of guess where this is heading..or can't you? :D  
I hope you liked it. Next chapter, we'll see Sonic and Jecht meet properly for the first time... :) Ooh the tension's gonna hit hard, folks! :P So hopefully there's a nice cliffhanger to get your taste buds tingled, and fingers crossed I'll update ASAP. Please review :)**


	5. Not Enough Space for the Two of Us

**Chapter 5! Thank you _silverdawn2010, Aamypink, JazzTheHedgehogSingingStar, IHeartSonAmy and Mana the Cat magician _for your reviews! It was great to read them after coming back from holiday ^_^ Sorry to make you wait for the update guys but after the previous sentence, you should understand why. I named this chapter Not enough space for the two of us because of that saying about not enough space in town blah blah... to give you a little teaser on the tension between Sonic and Jecht. Read on, and see what happens when they finally meet... =]**

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Chapter 5 – Not Enough Space for the Two of Us

Sonic forced his gaze to meet Amys, her bright smile carved into her features.

"There you are, Sonic!" she beamed, panting slightly from running to meet him. "We finally found you!"

Sonics ears perked up attentively.

_We_? Oh yeah… he thought, turning to observe Jecht. For a moment he'd been so focused on greeting her that he'd forgotten about her new… _friend._

Amy glanced to the green hedgehog. "Sonic, meet Jecht," she said happily.

He eyed the other male, sizing him up. Several sharp comments fizzed in his mind, itching his tongue to voice them. He suppressed them, forcing a reply. "Hi," he said. His voice was tinted with the essence of a 'Couldn't-care-less-who-you-are' attitude.

Jecht smirked, his eyes lighting up with opportunity. "Hey, Sonic. It's great to finally meet you. I've heard a bit about you, and I'm sure we'll get along great," he drawled.

Sonic narrowed his eyes, settling for, "Mm…" as a reply. He scanned over the other hedgehog again.

What is it that Amy likes about this guy? He's a creep!

He let his eyes dart to the side, as if trying to block Jecht out. He noticed Cream skipping over to Amy. The little rabbit was smiling as she bowed to the three hedgehogs politely, before linking her arm with Amys.

"Amy, would you like to see the flower chain that I made?"

Amy nodded. "Sure, Cream!" She turned back to Sonic and Jecht, and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes. You two can get to know each other!" She smiled hopefully, and let Cream lead her away.

Sonic frowned.

Damn it. Left with _this _guy, he thought bitterly.

Jechts expression was triumphant as he cleared his throat to catch Sonics attention. "So Sonic, tell me about yourself."

"You're not trying to date me are you?" Sonic said, matching Jechts smirk. He watched him closely. To his surprise, the green male laughed, although a slight hint of annoyance pulled at his features.

"No don't worry; I don't have those kinds of thoughts for _you_. But hey… maybe your friend Amy could fit into that classification, if you know what I mean," he grinned devilishly. Sonics expression only widened his smirk.

Both hedgehogs were observing each other, like wrestlers sizing up their opponents; Sonic scowling and Jecht smiling, taunting him silently. Tension gripped the air, forcing it to freeze around them. It was like a sample of the battles to come, a forewarn in the form of an ultimate test between them; each trying to stretch the limits of the other until they snapped.

Sonic felt his blood beginning to boil, and he clenched his fists.

This guy's really pushing it, he thought crossly.

Now that nobody was around he felt almost free to show this guy just how he felt about him.

In one quick movement, Sonic shoved Jecht against the wall of the workshop, pinning his shoulders back against it. His brow narrowed further, and his mouth curled downwards menacingly. "Listen pretty boy, I don't know what your game is but I'm sure you're up to no good," he hissed. "So let me tell you this – you hurt Amy in _any way_, and I'll knock your block off! You got that?"

Jecht made no effort to escape Sonics grip, and his eyes shone victoriously, satisfied that he'd annoyed the blue blur. "Consider it gotten," he breathed mockingly.

They stayed still for a moment, searching each others eyes, before Sonic released him roughly, not bothering to hide his disgust.

Jechts smirk took over his expression, and he had to stop himself from snickering.

So… he _is _jealous. This'll make things a lot more interesting, and he's not even a threat because I've got his little friend wrapped right around my finger. As long as I have her respect, I've got this job in the bag, he thought smugly. _And _I've already learned a huge advantage, he really likes her. Now _that_ could be useful.

His thoughts were interrupted as Amy bounced back over to them, slightly breathless from the journey. She beamed at them both, completely missing the tension in the atmosphere. "So did you guys 'break the ice'?" she asked eagerly.

Sonic said nothing, and Jecht shrugged, resuming his usual face for her: the charming smile. "Yeah, that's one way of putting it," he said. "I have a feeling we're going to get along well - right, Sonic?" He aimed his grin at Sonic, channelling daring energy at him. To Amy it would have looked like a friendly smile, but of course Sonic recognised it as a secreted challenge. He glanced at them both, hoping it was enough of answer, before mumbling an excuse and dashing into the trees.

Amy sighed, and Jecht disguised his proud, lop-sided smile. He snaked his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, he's a busy guy," he said.

She looked up at him and smiled sadly. "Yeah… always too busy for me," she murmured.

Jecht frowned a little, considering the possible replies to this statement. He couldn't find an appropriate one, so he settled for pretending he hadn't heard. "He seems pretty care-free, huh?" he commented.

"Yeah. Sonic's the kind of guy who values his freedom, it's just important to him," she said.

Jecht mentally congratulated himself for another subject to boost himself off of. "Heh… I bet he'd go stir crazy at being kept in one place for long, right?"

"Definitely. I don't think he could take it."

Jecht felt his spirits rise. Bingo. Yet another load of data for the doctor. He'd be so pleased with him that he'd take him on instantly and confirm his place in the team. Jecht forced the information into his memory, willing himself to remember it.

Okay, at least now I can relax a little, maybe even hang with Sonic, he thought sarcastically. Who knows, it could be… _fun._ "Is there a tennis court around here, Amy?" he asked her. "We could have a little tournament. And… perhaps Sonic would want to play too?"

Amy beamed. "That's a great idea! Come on, I know a place!" she cried happily, running off through the grass with him following closely behind.

Of course Jecht knew and understood his mission fully, but there was nothing wrong with having a bit of a challenge here and there… It would be way too easy without the annoyance of Sonic lingering in the air. Yes, it made things much more interesting, because that was just the way Jecht was. He loved a challenge, and if he had to create one himself, then so be it. He chuckled in a way that was almost sinister.

Let the games begin.

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**OOh he's so .. NEUAGH lol. It's a bit difficult writing with Jecht because I'm trying to make you guys dislike him (cos he's the bad guy obviously) but I still want you to be able to empathise with him as well ( that willl help you understand the future sequel ;) ) So hopefully I managed that - just about anyway. Reviews are appreciated. OH and one more thing, I might need one or two ideas about other things that Amy might tell Jecht about Sonic, but that isn't my focus so don't worry too much.. but any ideas would be helpful if you'd like to contribute :) Thank you. **

**Just a quick teaster.. in the next chapter we'll see the tennis game between the two hedgehogs, the game resembling their battle for Amys affections. And in case you may have caught on.. yes that idea is inspired by the Death Note series - the tennis game between Light and L. Awesome series... check it out if you like anime ;) Thanks for reading**


	6. Tensional Tennis and a Rollercoaster

**Thank you _silverdawn2010, AngelicRage0, lolsmith, Playingstars and Mana The Cat Magician _for you reviews! :)  
The title to this chapter really is self-explanatory. So we see the tennis game between Sonic and Jecht, the battle to win resembling their battle for Amy :)  
And there's more but I won't bother you any more, read on, guys :)  
Oh but one more thing: Sorry but as you might have noticed, the paragraphs aren't separated properly because FanFiction clearly hates me and wishes to make my life difficult :\ So you're just gonna have to go with it, sorry..**

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Chapter 6 - Tensional Tennis and a Rollercoaster Ride

The air was still as warm as it had been over last few days, and the sun beat strongly onto Sonic's back. It made him feel slightly restless, as he'd usually be resting under the shade of a tree of this point, not standing here awkwardly while Amy chatted to him about that Jecht dude _again_, and about how the jerk wanted to play tennis with him.

Tennis? _Seriously?_ What's this guy trying to do?

Sonic wracked his brains.

What does _he_ have against _me_ anyway? It seems like all he wants to do is push my buttons!

He paused his thoughts to look at Amy again, noticing her wide eyes - virtually pleading him. Certainly she'd never try to annoy him… Sonic suddenly felt realisation dawn on him.

She doesn't see it does she? he thought in wonder. She actually wants me and Jecht to get along.

He sighed. The idea of being anywhere near 'The Creep' was unappealing in itself, let alone having to play a game with him. But the amount of times that he'd let Amy down…

She smiled at him with anticipation, continuing with her persuasions before he could protest. "It'd be so much fun!" she gushed. "We could make it a proper tournament thing and everyone could watch!" She paused, glancing at him. "You're pretty competitive, Sonic, so I don't see why you shouldn't play," she stated.

He stayed quiet for the moment, studying her gorgeous face. Her mouth was bunched together into a small pout, as if she was expecting disappointment.

She really wants me to do this? he thought, considering it. It's only a game of tennis, she's right. Besides, I'd like to see the smug expression wiped off his face when I thrash him.

His thoughtful frown morphed into a spirited grin. "Sure. I wouldn't mind a friendly game of tennis!" he said. His grin widened as her emerald eyes lit up happily.

"I'll be cheering you on!" she cried excitedly, pulling him by the arm to the courts, where Jecht was waiting.

The tennis court was already lined with people when the two hedgehogs arrived, and the crowd cheered madly as they walked through the gate. Quite a lot of people had turned up; all of Sonics friends were there, and they'd clearly dragged some of their own friends with them. Jecht sauntered over to the cobalt hedgehog, his eyes shining competitively.

"Glad you could make it, Sonic. It's going to be a pretty awesome game," he drawled.

For once, Sonic returned his grin rather than scowling at him; his usual cocky attitude shining through. "You bet it will! Hope you don't mind losing!" he taunted.

"Ditto." They exchanged glances, before walking to opposite sides of the net. Both were surfing off of the waves of tension, rather than drowning in them, and both were _very_ confident that they would win. The crowd had quietened right down to a silence, as each person focused intently on the competitors.

Jecht held the bright green ball tightly in his hand. He eyed the distance over the net, preparing for his serve. In one swift movement he tossed the ball into the air, and hit it with the racquet as it fell, sending it flying over the net. Sonics reflexes allowed him to send it back instantly. Jecht returned it, his eyes flashing.

You're good, Sonic, he thought as the blue hedgehog fired the ball to him. But not good enough.

He whacked it again, injecting more force into it, but Sonics impulses proved themselves to be famously sharp as he shot it straight over the net once again. Jecht felt his frustration mounting up and he ran forward to slam the ball so that it plunged downwards, narrowly passing the net. He smirked, convinced that not even Sonic could return that one. But of course – he did, and it soared into the air so high that it was impossible to see with the sun stinging his eyes. Jecht clamped his eyes shut instinctively, betting that it would be out. Seconds later, it plummeted back down, bouncing right in front of him, avoiding his furious swings with the racquet.

"One – nil!" cried Charmy, who had taken it upon himself to be the referee, despite several objections.

Amy jumped up and down, cheering for Sonic excitedly. "Well done, Sonic!" she yelled.

He grinned at her and winked; a sense of pride rising in his chest, accompanying his racing pulse. Charmy flew above them and shouted, "Five minutes left!" He began to do his own commentary, nattering away animatedly. "Not long to go ladies and gents, and Sonics taken the lead!" he buzzed.

Jecht furrowed his brow as a bead of sweat climbed down his forehead. He was not always as competitive as Sonic was, but when he started a game, he had to finish it and _win_. Losing was the ultimate humiliation. He feverishly bit his lip, fighting the irritated remarks that threatened to escape. Instead of voicing them, he enforced them in his head, mentally taunting the other hedgehog.

You may think you've won, Sonic but I'll beat you – don't you worry.

He had no way of knowing that Sonic was doing the exact same thing. The azure hedgehog channelled his thoughts just as passionately.

It's like I said, _Jecht:_ I hope you don't mind losing because I've already won!

He served the ball.

Jecht watched it closely, making another remark in his head.

If I win then Amy will probably show more of an interest, and she'll no doubt talk about _you_ more…

He returned it.

Sonic whacked it back.

If I win maybe people will start to see what a loser you are!

They continued to strike the ball backwards and forwards, their mental comments becoming louder and more vicious in effort to keep up with the game. Although of course, neither knew what the other was thinking.

Jecht injected even more power into his swings _and_ his thoughts.

You know I'll win, Sonic!

_Whack!_

Why are you even bothering, Jecht?

_Whack!_

Don't even think I'll let you win!

_Whack!_

There's no way I'm losing this now!

_Whack!_

But if you _did_ win, it would all be for nothing!

_Whack!_

You'd mess up everything!

_Whack!_

Both of us could take the lead soon, but either way…

_Whack!_

_I can't lose!_ they thought in unison. Sonic threw himself to the side, hitting the ball with such velocity that it blasted towards Jecht in less than a second. He had almost no time to react at all, and his fruitless swings let the ball pass straight to the ground, just as Charmy blew his whistle.

"Sonic wins!" the little bee crowed, as the small crowd cheered loudly.

Sonic grinned, posing with his trademark thumbs-up. Amy laughed happily and ran over to him.

"You were really good!" she cried, throwing her arms around him in a crushing hug.

He blushed and let out a nervous chuckle. Jecht felt as if he'd been punched. Irritable shock was plastered on his face, as he realised that he'd lost.

Remember the mission! he reminded himself.

He walked over to Sonic and Amy, compelling his legs into a casual stroll, suppressing his annoyance. "Good game," he said, forcing a smile as he shook Sonics hand.

Sonic nodded and turned on his heel to walk back to the workshop with Tails. Amy sighed contentedly as she watched after him.

"He did really well didn't he?" she smiled.

Jecht opened his mouth to answer but she quickly spoke again.

"You were good too," she assured him.

He acknowledged her with what he hoped was a grateful nod, while he lost himself in his thoughts.

Well, I know one thing… this is getting even more intense than I thought. I'll have to make sure that she hangs around with me more, or she could lose interest.

He considered his options carefully as they walked through the trees, the colours almost camouflaging him.

Maybe I'll just step it up a notch, he thought grimly. He let out a snicker under his breath.

Watch out, Sonic. Things are about to heat up.

The following day began a little differently to how it usually would for Sonic. When he'd normally be getting up for a run, he was instead stopped by Tails, who was grinning excitably.

"Hey, Sonic! Guess what? We're all going to Twinkle Park today!" he exclaimed.

"Who's 'all'?" Sonic asked.

"You know – Me, Cosmo, Amy, Cream and her mom, Cheese, Knuckles, Rouge and the Chaotix gang! Oh yeah – and Jecht too," he remembered.

Sonic couldn't help clenching his fist at the mention of that creep. He closed his eyes and shrugged. "Sorry, buddy. If that guy's going, I'm _not_."

Tails' eyes popped open in shock. "What? But, but- why?" he spluttered.

"Let's just say we don't get along that great."

"But everybody's going," Tails said as his ears drooped. His tone was quietened in disappointment. "We all want you there, to have fun with us. You don't have to talk to Jecht."

Sonic sighed.

_Way to go, blue. You really messed up there. You sure know how to burst a bubble, don't you?_

Hey! I've almost never burst someone's bubble in my life! he retorted.

_Except Amy's…_

Sonic quickly spoke to avoid the voice. "Alright, I'll go," he said.

The two-tailed fox grinned and his eyes lit up. "Cool! Come on, we'll take the tornado!" he cried, and ran to the garage to start up the plane.

Sonic would have preferred running to Twinkle Park, but sometimes you had to negotiate, he supposed.

A quick, five-minute journey soon got them to the theme park, and as soon as they arrived, Sonic noticed the absence of a particular person.

Why isn't she here yet? he wondered.

Knuckles prodded him. "It was Jecht's idea to come here," he said.

Sonic glanced at him. "Okay," he said dismissively.

"Pretty good idea," Knuckles went on. "He's not a bad guy."

Sonic grunted out an exasperated sigh. "Knuckles, I-" He was interrupted as the echidna suddenly spoke out.

"Oh, I forgot," he said quietly. Then his humble expression suddenly changed as he began to laugh. "You're jealous!" he cried, snickering.

Sonic's frown intensified. "Don't push it, Knuckles." He rolled his eyes and turned away from the echidna, only to notice that the very hedgehog they'd been talking about hadn't arrived yet.

Maybe he's got Green Jerk Flu, he thought hopefully.

It was then that the hedgehog in question appeared at the gates, with Amy beside him. They arrived together, walking to meet the rest of the group. Sonic felt his gut clench as he was flooded with a harsh stream of jealousy. He scrutinised the two newcomers, taking note that they were a little too close for his liking. In fact, he realised, the only place that Jecht _wouldn't_ be too close was on another planet. "You guys came together?" he asked, sounding a lot more casual than he felt, even through gritted teeth.

Amy nodded cheerfully. "Jecht asked to walk me here. Isn't that sweet?" she gushed.

Sonic was about to make a remark, but he held his tongue.

Yeah, about as sweet as Egghead's butt! he thought.

"That was very nice of you, Jecht," smiled Cream.

As they continued to chat idly, Sonic felt his face fighting to scowl so much he thought it would explode.

Let's all give him a certificate, he thought bitterly. It'll say: 'Congratulations! You know how to walk! _And_ you can walk _with_ another person! Whoa!'

Sonic suddenly blinked. Sure he'd always had a sarcastic humour but it was never that harsh. Still, that creep was enough to make even Vanilla say rude remarks.

After a short check of the park map, they decided to head for the main attraction first of all, the newest rollercoaster, 'Twister'. It was promoted as the fastest rollercoaster in the world, Sonic had heard. He smirked.

Not as fast as me.

He groaned at the sight of the queue, which Cosmo pointed out was going to last for at least an hour. They joined the end of it, somewhat reluctantly on Sonic's part. He only became more uptight when he saw Jecht and Amy next to him.

This just gets better and better.

Jecht was too pleased with himself for words. He was with the prime sources of his information, with nothing to do but talk, which was all that he really needed for his mission, after all. "So, Sonic, you like rides?"

The blue hedgehog forced a confident smile. "Yeah, they're cool, but not fast enough for me!"

Amy raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Nothing's ever fast enough for you."

Jecht was listening closely.

Perhaps that's where you're failing, Dr. Eggman, he thought. Now to pull this off… "You're not afraid of heights, then?"

Sonic chortled at that. "Are you crazy? Heights are never gonna scare me!" he declared. "I'm always in the sky anyway, beating Eggman in those weird fortress things of his," he said.

Jecht nodded.

That crosses off one possibility, then.

"So what _are_ you scared of?"

"Nothing, except the sight of Eggman!" Sonic laughed, pretending to shudder. He smiled at Amy, pleased that he'd made her giggle as well.

Jecht frowned slightly.

I guess I won't be able to get that out of him, but maybe from Amy later. She's definitely easier to get information from.

He persisted in trying to casually ask Sonic a few questions throughout the queue-time, but after a while tried Amy instead, who was virtually useless on the information front while Sonic was around to distract her. And there was no point in talking to the other members of the group while they were busy in their own conversations, not to mention that it would become too obvious what he was trying to do.

Surprisingly, the queue seemed to move faster than they'd imagined, and their conversations distracted them enough to pass the time quickly. Before they knew it, they were settling into the three-seat rows, with Amy sitting in between Sonic and Jecht, ironically.

Sonic decided to pretend that Jecht wasn't there. He could still enjoy himself, couldn't he? "You ready, Amy?" he grinned, winking at her.

She beamed back at him. "Yep!"

Jecht chose the moment to speak to her as well. "You're not scared?"

She let out a short laugh. "No! I've been waiting to go Twister for weeks!" she cried happily.

He smiled, showing his gleaming white teeth. "I didn't think you were. If you're as brave as you are hot, you'll be more than fine," he purred.

She blushed deeply, her cheeks a bright pink. Sonic's face was glowing to some extent as well, from his sheer annoyance. He was astounded at the cheek of him chatting her up like that, but she seemed fine with it. He said nothing as the ride jerked and began to climb the beginning slope of the track, making sharp cracking noises as it moved its way upwards. It paused at the top, before zooming down at an incredible speed, making them all scream in excitement, although Sonic looked partly bored.

For once Jecht's grin was genuine as they raced around the track once, screaming all the way. He laughed as they climbed off. "That was awesome!" he exclaimed.

Sonic yawned. "A little slow, if you ask me," he commented.

Jecht said nothing, irritated. He suddenly spotted the log flume and smirked. It was the perfect opportunity to test a few rumours about Sonic's so-called fears. "How about the log flume, then? That should be easy for you, shouldn't it?"

Sonic's face got a little paler. "Of course it would!" he said indignantly. "But I really don't like getting wet, so I'll sit out."

Jecht raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you're just scared? There's nothing wrong with a little water."

Sonic scowled at him. "Water doesn't scare me. It's just so _wet_, and, you know," he searched for another word, "… _wet._"

Jecht gave him a sceptical look. "Well then, how about I sit out with you? It would give us a chance to get to know each other better."

Sonic fought the urge to scream at him. "Don't worry, you go and enjoy yourself," he said, barely managing to keep his sentence from turning into a growl.

"Amy, you don't mind, do you?" Jecht asked her.

She shook her head and smiled, thrilled that Jecht was making an effort. "I'll see you guys later!" she called, and ran to join Tails in the queue.

Sonic literally _felt_ any optimism left inside him deflating. He kept his gaze well away from the green hedgehog, infuriated.

How many times am I going to have to talk to this guy? Please hurry and get off that ride, Amy, he pleaded mentally.

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**Haha! Sorry, Sonic! You HAVE to talk to Jecht because that's what I'm going to make you do :P Which you will all see in the next Chapter!...  
Hopefully you guys aren't getting too sick of Jecht yet, cos it'll get worse :P lol  
I won't update for a few days cos I'll be away for a little while, but I'll do the best I can. I don't want to rush it ;)  
Here's a quick teaser - in the next chapter Sonic and Jecht have a little talk, Jecht continues to question Sonic and Amy, and Sonic and Tails have a certain conversation...  
Sonic says review! :P**


	7. Seal of the Deal

**Chapter 7, finally! No more going away now so at least I'll get more done. Thank you, _silverdawn2010, marylolsmith_, _ChReNiC, Mana the Cat Magician, Playingstars, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX _and _IHeartSonAmy _for your reviews. They make me happy so I thank you personally _and_ publically to hopefully make you happy! ^_^ (Although I like to thank you all anyway!) ;)  
I did strugle a bit with this chapter, I just wasn't feeling motivated because the whole Twinkle Park thing wasn't actually part of my original plan, but I think it turned out okay. :)  
I know I said there'd be a Sonic and Tails chat but it made the chapter too long and it just didn't feel right to add it. But I have written it so don't worry, the next chapter should be out a little faster than the rest, with the promise of a heart to heart between Sonic and his lil' bro'. ^_^  
Read on, and see Jecht annoy the hell outta Sonic! :P (Still paragraph errors, sorry can't do anything about it, the end :P)**

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**Chapter 7 – Seal of the Deal**

Sonic grimaced. Stuck alone with Jecht; did the world love to punish him? He held his gaze locked onto the ground; it was the closest he could get to escape from the other male. There was the possibility of running straight out of there, but what would his friends make of that? They wouldn't be too happy, and Tails had _asked_ him to come along. Plus, it would make it blatantly obvious. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be keeping in the dark, necessarily. But before he could think about it, Jecht spoke.

"So, how long have you known Amy?" he asked.

Sonic replied before he considered it properly. "Why do you need to know?" he demanded.

Jecht laughed, flashing his teeth. "I was making conversation, Sonic; it's something that people do. There's no need to get so defensive," he stated, a patronising glint in his eye. He was provoking Sonic and he knew it, and he got exactly the reaction he'd expected.

"Okay then, let's make conversation! Maybe you could talk about why you're acting like such a slime ball!"  
"I'm sorry if my charm and wit offends you, Sonic," Jecht said with a grin.

"You've got about as much charm as Eggman's-" Sonic managed to hold off the rest of his sentence. He sighed, gradually calming himself. As difficult as it was, he tried a more civil approach. "Look, Jecht, I just want to know why you're trying to…" he forced himself to continue, "Get her affection."

Jecht grinned. So Sonic was trying the nice guy? Good on him, but he wouldn't last long. "Why do you think? I like her. I like her a lot. Who knows – maybe my feelings will grow even stronger. But why does it bother you?"

"It doesn't bother me," Sonic said, as his civility began to sink away from him. "I'm her friend and I don't want her to get hurt."

Jecht snickered. "I'd say you're protective, aren't you? Protective, obsessive, that kind of thing," he said.

Sonic froze, paused in anger.  
Obsessive? his mind screamed. He hurriedly fought to control himself. He let out a chuckle and said, "Watch it, buddy. I'm anything but obsessive and I'm not going to talk to you about that kind of stuff."

Jecht shrugged casually. "Alright. Let's talk about you. Give me a proper intro of the real Sonic the hedgehog; hobbies, interests, you know the rest."

"Jeez, if it's a profile you're looking for, search for me on Wikipedia," he said, his sarcastic humour mixing with his annoyance. A scowl was already setting on his features.

Jecht narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "It wouldn't hurt to tell me a little about you."

Sonic let out an exasperated growl under his breath.

Why is he asking me all these questions? he thought. What is _up _with this guy?

He decided to voice his thoughts. "Why do you keep asking me stuff? It's not _me_ that you're interested in," he said.

Jecht maintained his casual look, though panic darted through him for a moment. It was soon replaced with confidence as he thought, Sonic's too worked up about me being near Amy to get suspicious; he's probably trying to faze me.

"No, it's not. But Amy wants us to get along so I want that too, he said. "It'll make her happy; isn't that what you want for her?" he added cunningly.

Sonic was nearly fuming already.

He's twisting everything I say against me! he screamed mentally. He couldn't conjure even a small response but was saved the task as he spotted the rest of the group running to them, soaked from the ride. His anger slipped away as he was able to forget Jecht for the moment. He laughed at the state of his friends. Knuckles and Rouge were shaking themselves to try and unsettle the liquid beads that were stuck to them. Amy was giggling as she wrung out the hem of her dress, which literally poured out water. She shook her head, spraying droplets from her bang quills. Small drips were still clinging to her eyelashes, lining them in a way that made her eyes sparkle even more than usual, Sonic noticed.

Tails was laughing too, despite his two tails being so sodden that they clung together in a soggy clump. He turned his head to examine them and grinned, before whirling them round like propellers. The water flew off, leaving them dry and fluffy again but drenching his friends once more, including Sonic and Jecht.

"_Tails_!" yelled Knuckles.

The fox smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," he laughed.

Sonic's eyes were wide with shock as he realised that he'd been soaked. He couldn't utter a single word as he looked at himself with horror. Amy saw his expression and burst into another fit of giggles.

"Oh, Sonic, you look so funny!" she howled.

Her laughter could only encourage a small gasp out of him, astonishment still plastered on his face. Jecht then spoke up, shattering Sonic's hope that he'd evaporated while they were laughing.

"You didn't need to go on the log flume, you got soaked anyway!" he snickered.

Sonic felt his frown returning as he surveyed the other hedgehog. He was just as wet, but for some insane reason he seemed to be enjoying it. Although Sonic hated to admit it, Jecht did look good with water droplets stuck to his forest green fur. Sonic couldn't help but notice that Amy was no doubt thinking the same as she too looked at the green male. She then turned to Sonic again, with that hint of something in her eye that Sonic had never quite grasped. He'd always assumed it was positive though, matching with the smile that played on her lips.

Rouge glanced about the group. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Let's go and get something to eat," she said.

They agreed and started looking for a café or a fast food stand. Sonic's ears perked up as he thought of the possibility of his favourite food somewhere in the park.

"Let's find a chilli dog stand!" he said, a hopeful glimmer in his eye.

Cream smiled up at him and said, "You really like chilli dogs, don't you, Sonic?"

He grinned. "Only 'cause they're the best food on the planet!"

"Your favourite?" Jecht asked.

Sonic glanced at him, his face already taking a slightly more serious look. "Yeah," he stated as if were obvious to the green hedgehog.

They all continued to walk in a group, and Jecht turned away again, ignoring Sonic's dislike for him. If he was honest with himself, he thought Sonic was a jerk. The blue hedgehog was clearly jealous of him when he was with Amy, but he didn't really care for her, did he? It didn't seem like it. He probably just missed the attention.

Sonic forced himself not to glare at Jecht as they walked onwards. Unusually for him, he focused on each step that he took, unable to stop imagining that Jecht's head was the ground. He thought Jecht was a jerk. The green hedgehog was clearly trying to win over Amy, but he didn't really care about her, did he? It didn't seem like it. He probably just wanted the attention.

Sonic noticed Rouge walking fairly close to Knuckles, as her hand linked with his. The hedgehog's eyes widened and he walked in line with the echidna. "Knuckles," he said in his ear, "Are you going out with Rouge?"

Knuckles blushed as he regarded his friend. "I guess so," he whispered. "I'm actually not that sure but I think we're together."

Sonic chuckled despite his surprise. "Dude, if you're holding her hand, you're her boyfriend. Good going! I never knew you had it in you!"

The echidna shrugged, slightly bewildered himself but clearly happy. "Jecht helped. Of course I was the one who did it, but he helped a lot," he said, exaggerating his own input.

Sonic felt his mood drop as he predicted yet another conversation about the wonderful Jecht. "Did he really?" he said, sounding just as uninterested as he felt. His tone gave off warning signals that said 'Rhetorical question – don't answer because I don't want to know' but – naturally – Knuckles missed the hint and continued.

"Yeah. He helped Tails fix his machine and he even helped Vector win a chess game! He's helped everyone!" he said brightly.

"Sounds like a real fairy godmother," Sonic said dryly.

"Yeah, something like that," Knuckles smiled, and he turned back to Rouge, blushing again.

Sonic let himself drift into thought. He was still quite surprised that Knuckles had found somebody, and Rouge of all people. But most of all he was annoyed.

So Jecht's been sucking up to everyone! Jeez, he should be a leech, not a hedgehog! Why am I the only one who can see through it?

Another short while of walking led them to exactly what Sonic had hoped for: a chilli dog stand. His eyes lit up as he eagerly raced forwards, handing over some money in exchange for the much-awaited chilli dog. He swallowed it down in two mouthfuls, earning a raised eyebrow from Amy.

"Sonic! Do you always have to eat them like that?" she scolded.

He winked and licked his lips. "No other way, Amy!" he grinned.

Jecht watched Sonic eyeing the stand again.

Wow, he really likes those things. Maybe that could be of some use? Dr. Eggman did say that I should write down everything.

He reached backwards to feel the papers rolled up, hidden in his back quills. They were still there, thankfully. He'd have to fill in some more of them in the bathrooms later.

Once everybody had finished their lunch, they went on several more rides that spun, dipped, twisted and soared, leaving them either laughing or clutching their stomachs. Jecht had a blast, laughing along with them, and generally enjoying himself. Of course his mission wasn't forgotten but he was surprised that he could have fun while accomplishing it. He'd almost never had fun in all his life and he couldn't help feeling a little pleased that he'd found people who hung out with him by choice. Although, every time he thought about it, he sternly reminded himself of his objectives.

The sky had already begun to gain a few streaks of orange as the evening introduced itself. After a few minutes of indecisiveness, the company agreed to try some of the fairground-type stalls that were around, at Charmy's suggestion. Amy took particular interest in a stall that had several teddies hung around inside as prizes.

Jecht smirked, seeing an opportunity and strolled towards it. He learned that he was supposed to knock over a stack of tin cans with a rubber ball and he'd win one of the prizes. He nodded at the stall manager, handing him the money and picking up a small orange ball. They all watched as he raised his arm, sizing up the distance, before throwing it as hard as he could. The ball smashed into the cans, easily knocking them all down. He smirked again as the stall manager handed him a brown teddy with a red bow tie.

That was easy, he thought, And it'll pay off, too.

Jecht looked at Sonic as he moved towards Amy with the little bear, watching for his reaction. He held it out to her, displaying one of his charming smiles. "I think you'd like this more than I would," he purred. He grinned in triumph as she accepted it and Sonic narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, Jecht, _thank_ you!" she cried happily. "It's lovely."

Jecht nodded and winked. "No problem. I thought it would make you happy," he added, enjoying the growing scowl on Sonic's face. He turned to face him directly, his eyes dancing teasingly.

Sonic - for some reason - felt the urge to strangle Jecht until his stupid green face turned blue.

He _is_ trying to wind me up! he thought crossly.

He said nothing, tensing his mouth to prevent any words escaping. The rest of his friends seemed oblivious to the dislike between the two male hedgehogs. Though it wasn't dislike between them. Sonic was unsure of it, but he felt disappointed as well. Whenever he saw Jecht with Amy, he'd feel a little saddened, maybe even panicked that she might have set her sights on somebody else. But of course he wouldn't admit that, not even to himself, yet.

Sonic was brought out of his thoughts as Vector coughed loudly to get the group's attention and held up his digital camera.

"I want to take a picture of everyone before we go so shuffle over here!" he barked.

They did as he asked, messily arranging themselves into a small mass. Amy was delighted to notice that Knuckles and Rouge were standing together, Rouge holding his hand, making Knuckles blush. The pink hedgehog beamed at Jecht as she moved to stand beside him, thrilled at the affect he'd had on the bat and echidna's relationship. And he'd barely known them, too!

Sonic's expression was more or less neutral as he stood next to Tails and Cosmo, who were smiling as they all were. Try as he might to control it, his gaze kept drifting to Amy, who was giggling with Jecht. He'd always loved to see her happy but it seemed tainted by the green hedgehog. He sighed, literally feeling a weight on his shoulders. It was if Jecht was a wasp; he kept stinging Sonic whenever possible and he would not go away. Jecht was smirking again, and he moved closer to Amy, making Sonic tense every muscle of his body. He suddenly noticed Vector shouting, "Smile!" and tried to force the corners of his mouth upwards as the shutter clicked. And when that shutter clicked, it was like the closing of the deal, the cherry on the cake. Jecht had been included in a group photo, and surely that meant that he was part of their group? In that second, Jecht had joined with his friends, and consequently, he'd joined Sonic's life – and there was nothing that Sonic could do about it.

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**Haha! Jecht's like a disease, too! He's come to get you, Sonic and you can't escape it! Mwa ha ha ha! So, Jecht's an official guy now. In the next chapter, Tails will be giving his big bro' 'The CHAT' lol. Aw Sonic gets consoled by his younger foxy friend ^_^ It's been written, as I said, so keep your hair on! :D  
Thanks for reading! Sonic says review! :P**


	8. Not a Dress Rehearsal

**Chapter 8, already! :O Thank you, _Mana the Cat Magician, silverdawn2010 _and _Playingstars _.. making you happy again lol ;)  
Aw man I forgot the disclaimer recently.. I don't own any of the characters except Jecht ^_^  
So yeah I did add more to the chat because, as _ChReNiC_ pointed out, there was no mention of Jecht.  
Oh and I decided to seperate paragraphs by putting a period/full stop in a space... so the gaps are kinda big but it might help you read it easier.  
Get ready, readers, for THE TALK :P**

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**Chapter 8 – Not a Dress Rehearsal**

The sun set as quickly as it had risen, Sonic noticed. The day had literally flown past, despite Jecht tainting it. Sonic lay on the roof of the workshop in his typical resting position, with his hands supporting his head, one leg crossed over the other. He watched the sun sinking gradually behind the horizon, leaving a bright pool of red and orange, tinted with pink. He smiled as the pink hue reminded him of Amy, as it always did - without fail. Amy. She'd hardly changed at all since he'd known her; her smile, her beautiful voice – all the same as it was years ago. She still had the exact same determination that had first caught his eye; it was as strong and unfazed as ever.

_Yeah, you'd notice those things, wouldn't you?_ taunted a voice inside his head. _Because of how you feel…_

He ignored it, blotting it out. It distracted him, but for once he didn't let it stop him thinking about her. He pictured her face, still reflecting on her strong personality. She was still kind and caring, but had that incredible will to protect those around her against all odds. She was brave and true of heart. Sonic smiled at the thought of her, and all that she'd go through for the ones she cared about.

Maybe that's why I love-

Whoa! Where had that thought come from? He readjusted his vision to his surroundings, shaken out of his thoughts.

Easy on the fantasising, Sonic.

.

He tuned back into his mind, as it suddenly led him to 'The Creep.' Sonic couldn't help but snicker at his new title for Jecht, as he imagined his challenging gaze, his maddening grin that made you want to rip all of the quills off his head. Yep, 'The Creep' was a perfect name for him. Sonic instantly felt the newly recognisable feelings of annoyance and jealousy rush through him at the thought of Jecht. He felt a frown merging onto his expression.

Damn, creepy little-

"Hey, Sonic?"

Sonic blinked in surprise as the voice dragged him back to reality. He was met with darkness as his eyes focused once again, and he realised that the night had already fallen upon the city. The sky had turned into an inky blackness, lit up only by the tiny orbs of light created by the stars. He must've been lying there thinking for a long time, he realised. He turned his head to meet the owner of the voice, who propelled himself next to the hedgehog using his two furry tails.

.

Sonic's mouth titled upwards in a sideways smile of relief as the fox settled beside him. "Hi, Tails."

"You seem kind of quiet today," Tails remarked thoughtfully. He met Sonic's gaze steadily as he continued. "And I think I know what you're thinking about," he said, causing Sonic to raise an eyebrow. "You're thinking about Amy, aren't you? And Jecht, too."

Sonic said nothing, startled at how easily Tails had figured him out. He finally uttered a reply. "Why would I think about that?" he said.

"You don't have to hide it, you know," said Tails quietly.

Sonic stared at him. He was practically _ransacking_ his mind for some form of denial, some kind of excuse, _anything_. He couldn't understand how Tails knew.

_How he knows what?_ a voice jeered. _Your feelings?_

For once, Sonic didn't completely silence the voice. He held it back for the moment, still baffled for a response to the younger boy. "H-how… I mean… How could-" he stopped, wanting to hit himself for acting like an idiot.

Tails smiled comfortingly. "I've seen the way you look at her. We all have." Noticing the sudden panic in Sonic's expression made him rephrase his sentence. "Well, I'm sure that not _everyone_ gets it," he assured him. "You know, Knuckles probably doesn't know," he said helpfully.

Sonic found himself looking at his sneakers, noting the face in his reflection. He looked slightly different, in a way. Usually, if he was found lying in one place, he would no doubt be relaxed. But if anything, he looked confused, _lost_ even.

_It really isn't that complicated. Just look inside yourself; the answer's staring you in the face!_

Sonic finally allowed himself to take some notice of the voice: his conscience wasn't it?

Huh, maybe I should start listening to that guy, he thought.

.

He remembered that Tails was watching him intently, and he looked sideways at him.

May as well stop denying it, he wouldn't believe me anyway. "You… you're sharp, you know that?" he laughed.

The fox's eyes lit up, relieved that Sonic had finally managed to say it. "It can only be a good thing to admit it," he said encouragingly. "You have to admit it to yourself, as well."

Sonic contemplated this.

_See? Even Tails knows it! _

It was a little intimidating to be uncovering all these feelings that he'd kept at bay for years. To have to have them all released at once was almost frightening, yet somewhat relieving as well. He let a smile play around his lips. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, leaving him light and free. "You know what? I think I already have," he said, pleased.

"So, the next step is to tell her," Tails said, lowering his tone, knowing that the hedgehog might not take it too kindly.

Sonic felt his whole body tense at the very idea.

No-no-no-no. Nuh-uh. Nope. Not going to happen. That's it, conversation over.

_Don't be so dumb! Just hear him out!_

.

Sonic almost winced. His heart was already beginning to hammer in his chest by just _imagining_ confessing to her. And besides, surely she must have got some kind of hint? Then again, if she had then she wouldn't be anywhere near 'The Creep.' "I don't need to. I mean, she doesn't even need to know that, right?" he said nervously.

Tails paused, deciding not answer that exactly, but instead battling any other excuses that Sonic might bring out. "You shouldn't feel so threatened by Jecht," he said.

Sonic breathed a frustrated sigh. "I- I'm not threatened by him, Tails, I just..." He sighed again.

"I don't think Amy would ever want to be with anyone but _you_."

"I don't know about that," Sonic said, "She does kind of like him, doesn't she?" He bit his lip, slightly annoyed at himself for talking to Tails about this. He was a hero; he wasn't supposed to need _consoling_ from someone younger than him.

.

Tails smiled reassuringly. "So maybe he knows his way with words. But she'll always care for you, not him," he said. "We both know how much she cares about you. She'd love it if you told her, and you probably would too."

"Yeah and what about Eggman? I bet he'd love it too, for one of those crazy schemes of his."

"Sonic, you know we can handle anything that Eggman dishes out. We've always been able to stop him."

Sonic fixated his gaze on the fox. "It's been a little too close sometimes," he said quietly.

Tails searched Sonic's eyes carefully. He registered something that he hadn't seen often before_: fear_. His eyes widened slightly as he regarded the hedgehog.

He's really scared of losing her, he realised.

"I know," he said, "But we always come through in the end. And it's good that you're worried about her, but don't you think that it's _her_ decision of how much danger she puts herself into?"

"She puts herself into way too much danger, and it's usually running after me."

"But that's what you do for her," Tails pointed out softly. "You'd risk everything for her, so doesn't she have a right to do the same for you?"

"Yeah but, Tails-"

"Life's not a dress rehearsal, Sonic. You only get one performance."

.

Sonic paused. He replayed the quote in his mind, carefully taking it in. What Tails had said was true, and didn't Sonic pride himself on living life to the fullest? Plus, if he was honest he that knew, deep down, that Amy deserved to know. Any other problems they could sort out _together,_ but she deserved to know.

Tails was still fixated on him, trying to encourage him. "So are you going to tell her?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, but he smiled. "Tomorrow," he said firmly. When Tails began to question him again he held up a hand and said, "I _will_ tell her. Tomorrow."

The young fox grinned. "I knew you'd admit eventually!" he cried, making Sonic chuckle lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. So do I get a hot chocolate as a reward?"

"Okay," Tails giggled. "But you might want to come inside," he teased.

They both laughed as they climbed back into the workshop. Sonic found himself unable to stop smiling, even when they at last called it a night and he laid back in his favourite spot on the roof. He let his eyes drift over the stars, tracing shapes in their constellations. It was kind of funny, he mused, that the shape that stuck out the most, was a large heart drawn out in the middle of the blackness.

.

Sonic slept peacefully through the night, without a hint of frustration as he had in the past few days. In fact, if anybody was to come across the sleeping hedgehog, they would have seen a small, contented smile on his face. He continued to sleep like that until the sun rose, and it spread its rays of light across his face, as if to wake him. His eyelids flickered before opening and he yawned. He stretched out his arms and surveyed the view from the workshop roof. Not many people were about, it was still too early, he mused. His thoughts drifted idly for a while, but were suddenly stopped by the memory of his 'heart-to-heart' with Tails. He gulped.

Today's the day, Sonic, he thought.

As if on cue, a rush of nervousness and mild panic tugged at his insides.

You know what? Maybe I shouldn't do this today….

The thought was cut off by yet another memory of telling Tails that he _would_ do it today.

Aw, man… What have I got myself into?

_Doing something that you should have done years ago,_ the voice answered him.

That conscience guy's a smart-ass.

He considered that for a moment.

Even though it's sort of… me. Great, now I'm losing it, he thought, and let his hand slide down his face. He reflected back on difficult moments of his life, realising the ridiculous amount of times that he'd defeated Eggman. It made the task of talking to Amy seem easy, so why was he finding it so daunting?

.

He hoisted himself upwards, and out of nowhere a new found confidence took over his body. His mouth formed into a grin, oozing with his typical attitude. He jumped down, his sneakers making a dull thud on the ground, and without wasting another second he raced out of the city and onto the grasslands. The fields went on for what seemed like miles, and the sun made every single dewdrop that clung to the grass sparkle. But the reason that he'd come to that field, was for the thousands of wild flowers that stretched out across the landscape. He knelt down to observe some of them further, straining his memory for what little knowledge of flower meanings he'd been given by Espio. He'd been surprised that the ninja chameleon knew of such things, but then it just went to show how many hidden talents or passions people might have. He smiled, partly from excitement, as he began to remember what some of the types and colours meant.

.

Amy would love this, he knew. It was no doubt the way she'd dreamed of him confessing to her.

Wait… does she dream about that kind of thing?

He smiled, recognising the obvious answer to that question.

This is Amy we're talking about. She does.

As he planned what he'd do in his mind, he was more or less making an agreement with himself. He wasn't going to back down, this was it.

Life's not a dress rehearsal, he reminded himself. So I'm going to make this the best performance I've ever given.

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**Yayy! ^_^ Tails had to encourage his big bro' XP Sonic is finally going to confess... but what will happen when he reaches Amy's house? :O Find out next in Sonic X! Oh sorry, it's not Sonic X! :P Wish it was, though... :D  
It would be helpful if you could please tell me (in a review if you want) if the new paragraph spacing helped you read or not.  
****Review!**  
**Wait! I didn't say 'Sonic says'! ... Oh well you can do it anyway :D**


	9. The Big Performance

**It's time for chapter 9! Two chapters in one day! :O But between me and you guys, I was writing it most of the day, partly because I was super-motivated seeing as its reaching the best parts (in my opinion), and partly because I'm lazy and sitting down typing is better than running about :P Thank you, _SpeedAngel9294, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, silverdawn2010, marylolsmith _and _Mana the Cat Magician _for reviewing. And thanks to anyone reading this, it makes me happy :)  
I do not own any of the characters except Jecht, and just so you know, I'm keeping the new spaces between paragraphs because it seemed to help you guys read it, and BTW I put a period/full stop there because otherwise the space won't stay there :(  
So.. Sonic's about to confess... I'm not saying anything else ;)**

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**Chapter 9 – The Big Performance**

Sonic reached Amy's house as soon as he could. The sun was only just reaching its peak in the sky, as her house came into view. He'd usually dash over at top speed but he had wanted to make sure that the flowers he'd picked stayed in their best condition. He held them in front of him, examining them with a smile. He'd chosen tulips because – as Espio had told him – they symbolised perfect love. It was probably something to do with the fact that they were Amy's favourite flowers, as well. They were so strong and bright, and yet delicate as well. They reminded him so much of her, they were perfect. He'd used four red tulips, four pink ones and four cream-coloured ones, paying close attention to their colours and meanings. They combined to make the message just about right, he thought. They were still fresh, with tiny beads of dew lining the petals, making them seem to shimmer in the light.

.

He lifted his head to regard her front door, remembering that he needed to go _through_ it and not stare at it. Waves of nervousness threatened to drive him away, pulling at him. He visualised forcing them downwards, and they were already being invaded by excitement.

Here we go, he thought. This is it. I'm telling her.

He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door, hiding the tulips behind his back with his other hand. He took a few deep breaths in effort to calm himself, but his pulse raced even faster as the door opened, revealing the pink hedgehog. Her eyes lit up and she beamed at him.

"Sonic!" she cried happily.

He swallowed his fears, or at least he kept them tamed enough to answer her. "Hi, Amy," he greeted.

She pushed the door to widen the space for him to enter, smiling brightly. He made sure to step inside carefully, manoeuvring himself so that the flowers were hidden from view. He glanced upwards again, and was met with her beautiful face, her eyes sparkling. A sudden area of green invaded her hallway and he broke from her gaze to look up. Jecht was leaning against the wall, smirking at him. For once, Sonic didn't care. This day was about him and Amy, not 'The Creep'.

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Amy blushed lightly as she remembered her other guest, and gestured to him. "Jecht's here too," she said, pointing out the obvious.

Sonic sent the green hedgehog a nod, eager to talk to Amy alone. "I… I've got something to tell you," he said awkwardly, glancing at 'The Creep' to signal that he wanted to speak with her privately. Amy, being the amazing girl that she was, nodded, understanding immediately and led him to the kitchen, closing the door behind her. Sonic felt the anxiety rising in his throat again, squeezing it so that no words could get out. He summoned every ounce of his courage to push it down, forcing his mind to command speech from him. Just as he opened his mouth, Amy interrupted.

"Wait!" she cried excitedly. "I've got something to tell _you_, first!"

He closed his mouth again, still in dazed that he had come so close. Oh well. He'd listen to what she had to say and then tell her. She inhaled deeply, preparing herself. Her eyes were still shining eagerly as she spoke.

"Jecht's my boyfriend!" she exclaimed.

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Sonic froze. His eyes were wide open in shock and his gaze locked onto hers, unable to move even when he wanted it to. He'd been struggling for words only moments ago but now he had so many that they all tried to rush out at once, leaving him stuttering in bewilderment. "Wha… what?" he said.

"He asked me out this morning!" she cried.

His chest began heaving as he searched her eyes carefully. She was happy – with someone else. His heartbeat boomed through his ears. It was so loud that he was afraid she might've heard it. She was going out with him? Amy Rose was the girl who had chased him for years, begging him to date her, sometimes even _marry _her, and now… she'd found somebody else? He let his eyes slowly fall to the floor, his brow furrowing. He'd come so close. It had taken him so unbelievably long to get to this point, and for what? To have his hopes smashed. It was amazing how drastically his mood had changed. In less than a minute, he'd been violently torn from his cheerful confidence and plunged into nothingness. Because that's what it was: nothingness. He was so stunned that he could hardly feel at all. He felt himself shaking lightly, and he jumped as she gently held his arm, despite the fact that it was nearly numb.

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"Sonic?" she asked, concerned. The excitement in her eyes faded as she stared at him, wondering why he wasn't looking at her, he supposed.

He blinked fiercely, and compelled himself to meet her gaze. He cleared his throat as if to hold back the shock. "That's… that's great, Amy," he said slowly. "I'm happy for you. But I forgot that Tails needs me back at the workshop, so I really ought to-" He was cut off as he grabbed his arm again.

"What did you want to tell me?" she asked quickly.

He frowned in concentration, conjuring a response. "There was a blackout in the workshop… Tails wanted me to see if you had one too, but… you haven't… so… I'd better go," he said, trying to paste on his trademark grin. But it wasn't the same, he knew. He didn't need a mirror to guess that his eyes were probably lifeless, to match the way he was feeling.

Amy must have sensed something in his tone as she watched him worriedly. "Sonic," she said softly, "Is there something else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No."

She gingerly released his arm, letting her own hand fall to her side. "I'll see you later, then?" she called after him hopefully, as he trudged back into the hallway and towards the front door.

"Yeah… later."

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Jecht watched the azure hedgehog leave the house, the door closing behind him. He smirked as he continued to follow the speedster's actions. He was pulling out something from behind his back and staring at it. It was colourful… As Jecht moved closer to the window he realised it was a bunch of tulips, red, cream and pink. Sonic seemed to be gazing at them sadly.

He was going to give them to Amy, he thought in wonder.

Suddenly, Sonic threw them on the doorstep as if they'd betrayed him. Then he turned on his heel and walked back into the forest, obviously without taking a second thought of where he'd left them. Jecht regarded the flowers with alarm. If Amy found those, she'd know instantly who they were from, and then she'd no doubt leave him for Sonic and that would be the end of his mission. He glanced behind him, relieved to see that she wasn't in the room. As he crept into the hallway, he noticed her in the kitchen, stirring a drink. His mouth formed a devilish smile.

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He paced to the door and opened it noiselessly, his ears erect and alert for the possibility of her hearing him. He reached down and picked up the flowers, examining them. They were freshly picked, he noted.

I was sure that he didn't have feelings for her, he thought in confusion. I thought it was just the attention he was after. Hmm. Surely he'd only give her flowers if he cared for her?

Jecht considered the theories that appeared in his mind, deciding to do a little research on flower meanings.

That should help clear up this little mystery. Even a fool like Sonic wouldn't waste his time on flower messages for somebody that he didn't like.

He glanced behind him again, conscious of Amy and her whereabouts. He surveyed his surroundings, quickly trying to come up with a plan. He needed to get rid of those tulips! He suddenly noticed the small dumpster beside her porch and his face lit up. He leaped over to it, threw the flowers inside and slammed down the lid. He rushed back inside, closing the door and sauntering to join Amy in the kitchen, immensely pleased with himself. There was no way that Sonic would stop him now. Nobody would.

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Sonic kicked a shrub as he arrived at the park. It was green… just like 'The Creep'. He kicked it again, harder this time. Although, it wasn't that hard at all; his disappointment had drained him of all energy. He would've gone back to the workshop, but Tails would question him, and what was there to do there anyway? Sulk? Then again, what was he was doing at the park? Sulking. He trundled to the nearest tree and sank against the trunk, sliding down until he hit the grass. The shock was fading now, with every ounce of it being replaced by anger, and mostly sadness. Jecht might as well have punched him, because that was how he felt.

Life's not a dress rehearsal, huh? he thought. Well that performance sucked.

He'd been so sure, so damn confident that she would never leave him for anyone else, ever. He'd been positive that she would be alone, and he'd whisk her off her feet, confess everything and…

He held his head in his hands. Perhaps happy endings weren't always possible.

Who was I kidding? That guy's everything she could ever ask for: everything he says to her is compliments and he's clearly some kind of magic maker, helping everyone with everything.

_But you don't trust him, do you? _whispered the voice. _Deep down you're worried that he's taking her for a fool._

Sonic sighed roughly. He couldn't be sure anymore. It was true that he had a funny feeling about 'The Creep' but that could've been down to jealousy.

.

He rubbed his head, his fingertips brushing his ears. He felt a stab of misery as he comprehended that what hurt the most was no doubt the fact that that she didn't love him anymore; if she ever had. She was clearly falling for Jecht, so he thought. It seemed that as soon as he'd allowed himself to recognise how he felt for her, and believe that she felt the same, that hope had been ripped from him almost instantly. His vision was becoming slightly blurred, as tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He wiped at them hurriedly, furious with himself for _crying_. He looked up at the leaves above him, illuminated in green where they shielded him from the sun. Green, again. He closed his eyes, thumping his head against the hollow trunk.

.

He hated to admit it, but Jecht had been right. Sonic wanted Amy to be happy, and she'd appeared to have found that with Jecht. Sonic slowly opened his eyes again, ignoring the stray beams of sunlight that tried to blind him. If Amy was happy, then… then that was good. He'd just have to accept that she cared for someone else, and he _would,_ even if he had to distance himself, he would try. With that last thought in mind, he pushed himself back onto his feet and walked away from the tree, trying to visualise himself walking away from his feelings. But of course, that would turn out to be a lot harder than he thought, as he would soon find out.

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**:'( So Sonic didn't confess after all... How many of you are stomping with rage screaming 'NOOO! So close!"? lol :P  
Sonic cried, I know, maybe that was OOC but he was stressed and Jecht just kinda got to him, poor guy. Things might get better... but they have to get worse first! As you will soon find out, just like Sonic... :)  
Sonic says review :P**


	10. The Wedding

**The big 1,0! :) Thank you, _Welshausten, Rachel-1994_ :D , _Mana the Cat Magician, ChReNiC, silverdawn2010, Koollolly, _and_ IHeartSonAmy. _The chapter title might have got you shocked so I'll let you read ;)...**

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Chapter 10 – The Wedding

Sonic watched the rest of his friends preparing themselves from a distance, remaining silent as he rested on the tree branch outside Tails' workshop. Rouge was neatening Knuckles' bow tie, and pinching his cheeks playfully. Tails and Cosmo were brushing themselves down, smiling at each other. Even the Chaotix gang were there, with large instrument cases. They were supposed to be playing their music for the occasion, and Vector smiled proudly as he stood beside the other two members of his team, waiting for everybody to finish so that they could go. Once they felt that their appearances were acceptable, they moved together, ready to leave for Angel Island, where Amy and Jecht had decided to hold the ceremony.

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Tails quickly ran back to the tree that Sonic was lying in, and he propelled himself up to meet the hedgehog. "Sonic, are you sure you don't want to come to the wedding?" he asked, his eyes filled with sympathy.

"Positive. Besides, I don't think that Amy would want me there," he said.

Tails stayed for the moment, his ears lowering slightly, clearly reluctant to leave his older brother.

"Don't worry about _me_, Tails, just go," Sonic said, sounding far more cheerful and confident than he felt.

"Well… okay," Tails said quietly. "See you later," he called, flying back down to meet the others.

Without wasting another second, they hurried off, leaving Sonic alone. He sighed deeply, as if he was now free to relax, or let out his emotions at least, not that there were many. Since the day he'd found out about Amy and Jecht's engagement, he'd been so shocked that it had provided a barricade against all other emotions, although not a long-lasting one. He was too empty to cry now; he'd already done that for several nights in a row, when no one was around to notice. Even with all the movies he'd seen, he'd never known how painful heartbreak could be. In fact, heartbreak was a terrible word for it, he thought. Something like 'Heart-smash' or 'Heart-rip-out-and-step-on' would be far more appropriate. It really did feel like his heart had been torn from his chest, squeezed and then crushed, leaving him to suffer. Five months and he still hadn't gotten over it. Of course Tails had been good to him, trying to make him feel better about it and even Knuckles had slapped him on the back and said, "Sorry, man."

.

They all acted like Amy had died instead of falling for someone else, which was probably because it almost seemed that way. She took no notice of him whatsoever, and her personality had changed so much that it was nearly impossible to believe that it was her. Being with Jecht had changed her so drastically; she was cockier, more difficult, and she even flirted a lot more. To Sonic, it seemed like she was a female version of Jecht, but deep down… she was still Amy, his Amy, the girl that he'd fallen in love with. Occasionally he'd seen it in her eyes, for a second. Only a second, but it was enough. There'd be a flash of sorrow, as though she missed the old days. A flash of sorrow mixed with remorse and even a tiny bit of love, he was sure.

.

Part of him, a teeny, miniscule part of him was still held together by a strand of hope that he had a chance of bringing her back. He'd prayed so often that he could make that flash of the old Amy grow until she'd come back to him. He'd tell her how much he loved her and he she'd run into his arms and they'd never leave each other again, or so that was his plan. Surely that was all that he had to do? If only she knew that he loved her, then maybe she'd give him a chance? It was a small chance, a very small chance, but by that point, Sonic was willing to bet on anything.

So what am I still doing here? he thought incredulously. He slid down the tree trunk, stabilised himself and sped off into his highest possible velocity. He pumped his legs as hard as they would go, a concentrated frown set in his features.

This is Sonic the wedding-crasher, he thought to himself as he raced onwards. Next stop, Angel Island.

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He skidded to a halt in front of the Master Emerald shrine, where Amy and Jecht were standing hand in hand at the altar. They were smiling at each other, Amy's smile was full of joy and sweetness, but Jecht's was smug, almost evil. It was like a dragon marrying a harmless kitten, but he was tainting her with his evil, slowly destroying the goodness left in her.

Sonic raced down the aisle, and shouted "I object!" Every head in the crowd turned to face him, surprise and annoyance etched onto their expressions. He felt his face heating up nervously.

Was I supposed to say that? he wondered suddenly. Shrek didn't have a plan when he said that, did he?

He brushed the movie out of his mind, focusing on his own plan, not that he had one, exactly. Amy and Jecht were looking at him too, and they didn't look too happy to see him, to say the least. He cleared his throat. "Sorry to crash the party, guys but I-" he turned to face Amy - "I have to talk to you," he said firmly, his eyes pleading with her.

She frowned at him, clearly not impressed. "There's nothing to talk about, Sonic" she said.

"Yes, there is!" he said. "Look, Amy, I- I know that I ran away from you a lot, and let's be honest here, I was a jerk. But when I heard that you were marrying Jecht I was devastated." He swallowed, but kept his eyes fixated on her. "He makes you happy, but something's not right about him! Can't you see it? He's going to hurt you, Amy, I know he is!"

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Jecht narrowed his eyes but his smirk remained on his face as he turned to her. "You don't seriously believe that, do you, Amy?" he said calmly, using his charming tone.

She smiled at him. "No, of course not."

Sonic felt his hope beginning to crumble. "Amy, you've got to believe me! I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for you! I want _you_ to be happy," he insisted. "When it comes down to it, your happiness matters to me way more than my own. Because…I…I love you, Amy," he said, putting all of the sincerity that he had into his voice and his expression. He gazed into her eyes, willing her to understand. "I always have been, always will be." He meant what he said and he could tell that she knew that by the look of recognition on her face.

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Jecht glared at Sonic, before turning back to his fiancée. "Amy," he said, his tone indicating that he was waiting to hear what she'd say. He sent her a forceful look, as if to demand that she told Sonic exactly what she thought of him.

She smirked. "Don't worry, Jecht," she said. She turned back to Sonic, a spiteful glint in her eye. "He means nothing to me," she hissed, taking Jecht's hands again.

Sonic stared at her, his eyes boring into hers. He felt her words stab him like several sharp daggers, slashing at him viciously. He literally felt the pain of it, and the sentence echoed in his mind like a broken record.

'_He means nothing to me, nothing to me, nothing to me-'_

It continued to repeat itself in his head, every syllable pounding his ears. He clamped his hands over them, clenching his eyes shut. "No," he whimpered, shaking with the pain that it was causing him. Tears were now trickling down his face, burning him. "_No!"_ He curled himself into a ball, desperately trying to escape the hurt, but it wasn't working. Nothing was working. He was losing her…

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"AMY!" Sonic shot up, taking in ragged breaths. He glanced around his surroundings - still struggling to catch his breath - and realised that it was in fact morning and that he was lying on the branch of a large willow tree. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again, to double-check. Yes, still in the tree. His breathing was gradually returning to a normal rate, and memories of the past day flooded his mind. He hadn't wanted to face Tails after finding out that Amy and Jecht were a couple, so he'd wandered around in the park for the rest of the evening, before eventually falling asleep in that tree.

Man, am I glad that was a nightmare? he thought, closing his eyes again in relief. He examined his arms, noticing that they were clammy.

Whoa, it must have really freaked me out.

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He then realised that his cheeks felt a little sticky, and he traced them with his fingers. His face was _wet_, there were little streams that led to his eyes; they were wet as well. Sonic felt his mouth open in surprise.

Was I… _crying_? In my _sleep_?

He instantly wiped the wetness away with his hands, slightly unnerved that he'd managed to get so distressed by a nightmare.

It sure felt real, though.

He suddenly paused as his mind lead him to a worrying thought.

Amy wouldn't really _marry_ that guy, would she? Hah, there's no way.

Even in his thoughts, he didn't sound too convinced. If she liked him enough to be his girlfriend, it could grow, and then… she actually might consider it. He felt his stomach flip, as if to protest against the idea. He gulped, striving to ignore the sinking feeling inside of him. He'd told himself yesterday that he'd accept Amy's feelings for Jecht so that's what he'd do.

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He jumped to the ground and straightened again, surveying the area around him. Mobians were already up and about, wandering through the park. He watched them for a moment before shaking his head.

I can't hang around here all day.

With that last thought in mind, he set off through the trees, leaving a dust cloud where he'd been standing. He began to zoom around the city, taking in the sights.

Where am I going, anyway?

He brought his eyes back up to face the road ahead of him, only to see Amy's house in the distance.

Whoa, whoa. _Not_ going _there_, he thought firmly, and pivoted to run in the opposite direction. He felt somewhat alarmed that his feet had led him there, as though they were programmed to pull him closer to her. He urged his legs faster, racing in and out of streets, dodging cars. He dashed around the city one or two times before ending up back at the park, digging his sneakers into the dirt until he stopped. His brow furrowed slightly at the repetition in his journey, before shrugging it off.

Looks like I'm staying here for a while, he thought.

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He strolled along the path, letting his instincts take over as he ended up walking to the most popular part of the park. His neutral expression hardened into a frown as he saw who was there. Amy, Jecht and a few of his other friends were sitting on the grass, obviously enjoying conversation amongst themselves. He hovered there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, he settled for staying where he was, standing on top of a hill that looked over his friends. He didn't quite understand what it was, but he couldn't leave. He found himself feeling compelled to stay and watch, and not only that, but no matter how hard he tried to stop it, his eyes were continually being drawn towards Jecht and Amy. He was gazing at them so closely that he didn't notice Shadow walking up to stand behind him.

The red and black hedgehog smirked. "You lost your chance then, faker?"

Sonic jumped, and twisted his head back to acknowledge Shadow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

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Shadow folded his arms and grunted. "Hmph. You really think that you can ignore how much it's bothering you? Who are you trying to convince? I'm certainly not going to believe it, and if you have any sense left, neither will you," he said harshly.

Sonic let his gaze drop to his feet. There was no point denying it to Shadow. Besides, the black hedgehog wasn't one to gossip. "Is it really that obvious?" It wasn't really a question, it was more of a confession, he supposed, but his voice sounded so dead that it surprised himself.

Shadow chuckled. "To me, perhaps." He eyed the blue hero, curious more than anything else. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

Sonic breathed an aggravated sigh. "Been there, done that, then found out that she's his girlfriend. Worst idea ever," he said flatly.

That made Shadow raise an eyebrow, genuinely interested. "So you quit. Just like that, you gave up? I must say, Sonic, that sounds highly unlike you," he said.

"You better believe it," Sonic said, without a trace of humour in his voice.

Shadow's eyes narrowed at the blue hedgehog. "You're not being how you should be," he stated, and Sonic faced him, confusion tracing his features. Shadow stepped closer until he was right next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. His intense, crimson orbs stared into Sonic's bewildered, lime-green ones with a meaningful gaze. "You're not being Sonic."

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The blue hedgehog stared at his rival, a little dazed at this statement. Shadow was not exactly your typical sensitive type. He kept his ears upright, listening as the ebony hedgehog continued.

"The Sonic that I know wouldn't stop because of one person taking an interest in somebody that he loves. He'd win her back, because that's who he is. He's irritating, persistent, and sometimes," he said, his wry smile stretching, "He's even a good fighter."

Sonic felt his eyes grow even wider, astounded. He felt a smile tugging at his lips, and although he wouldn't say it out loud, he was somewhat moved at what the ebony and red hedgehog had said. It was quite a statement from Shadow, he knew. They allowed themselves to smile at each other, an unspoken understanding between them for a moment. Of course Shadow was the first to break it.

"Remember, Sonic, I may be just as strong as you but I've had years of knowledge. So I'm more intelligent, too," he smirked.

Sonic raised an eyebrow, the spark returning to his eyes. "What you're saying is that you're an old grandpa," he grinned.

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The so-called 'understanding' was definitely out of the window now, as Shadow's smirk turned into a scowl. "Watch what you say, faker." He took one last look at the pink and green hedgehogs. "Believe me, I'm not doing this for your benefit," he reminded Sonic sharply. "She deserves to be with the one who truly loves her," he said, his tone softening a little.

Sonic observed his counterpart curiously. Why was he intent on Amy being happy?

Shadow sent him a half-smile. "She reminds me of Maria," he stated, as if to explain himself.

Sonic nodded to show that he understood, and once again there was a flash of appreciation between the two hedgehogs.

Shadow's expression hardened again. "Tell her," he said firmly and gave a nod of goodbye to the blue male, before walking into the distance. Sonic stared after him, his smile spreading a little.

You're not half-bad, Shadow, he thought. Not half-bad.

He gazed at the scene before him, contemplating the option of rushing down to see Amy and confess to her then and there. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't seen Tails run up to him. The fox watched him in confusion, and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Sonic?"

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Sonic blinked as he suddenly became aware of the younger boy's presence. "Hey, Tails." His brow furrowed as he noted the concern in the fox's eyes.

"Sonic, where were you last night?" Tails asked. "I checked the tree outside the workshop and you weren't there. I haven't seen you since yesterday morning," he said. "I wanted to ask you about Amy, but…" he trailed off, his eyes shifting to 'The Creep' and Amy, "I guess you didn't tell her, huh?" he said softly. There was a sympathetic look about him, making Sonic feel slightly uncomfortable.

"No, I didn't," Sonic replied, "Guess I was too slow for once." His voice became quieter at the end of the sentence, as the reality of it sank in.

"You're still gonna talk to her about it, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Sonic said, smiling. His eyes darted above Tails' shoulder as he saw Jecht and Amy walking away from the park, hand in hand. "Hey, where are they going?" he asked quickly.

Tails turned his head to watch them as he replied. "Oh, I forgot. They're going out today," he said apologetically. "To the movies, I think."

Sonic sighed under his breath. He noticed that Tails was now focusing on him, probably wondering if he was annoyed. He put on a half-smile. "I can always tell her later," he said.

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Suddenly, Sonic found his eyes being attracted to the spot where the new couple had been; something was reflecting the sunlight. He stood still for a moment, straining his vision to try and decipher what it was. He slid down the hill and knelt in the grass. The object was thin and white, and he picked it up. It was an ID card, he realised, with Jecht's picture in the corner. He observed it more closely, detecting the complicated security code and the holographic symbol to prove its validity. His eyes scanned over the data, picking out anything of interest, and he found something very interesting indeed. His gaze remained on the last line of the records, as he re-read it. 'Jecht the Hedgehog: Agent #02.'

He's an agent?

Sonic narrowed his eyes.

I knew there was something funny about him!

He was partially annoyed because Jecht was clearly a shifty character, but what annoyed even more was that he was sure Jecht's real job had a connection to his interest in Amy, so his feelings _weren't_ real, right? Well, that was a mistake on Jecht's part because he was going to regret it, badly.

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**Hands up if you thought the wedding was real! :P So Sonic had a nightmare and then a lecture from Shadow :P Nice, lol. It looks like he might be onto Jecht's secret :O The Creep is gonna pay... :)  
Reviews are appreciated ^_^**


	11. Fists Mean Fights

**Feel the tension! :D Thank you to _Mana the Cat Magician, silverdawn2010, ChReNiC, xRedRockerx, IHeartSonAmy, Playingstars _and _marylolsmith_. Sooo, the chapter title will explain itself... :) That's all I'm saying. Hope you enjoy the chapter! **

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**Chapter 11 – Fists Mean Fights**

The sky was beginning to turn reddish pink as the sun climbed downwards behind the horizon. The evening was already approaching, but it went unnoticed by a particular blue hedgehog. After having raced straight to Amy's house, Sonic wasn't particularly surprised when he was met with a male green hedgehog rather than a pink female. Jecht's lilac-blue eyes shone with challenge as he instantly detected the aggressiveness radiating from Sonic. He stayed in the doorway, his arm resting against the side of the wooden frame. Sonic was about to speak when Jecht began to talk instead.

"Amy's out back," he said, calmly swinging one arm back to form the hitching-a-ride gesture with his hand. "She's busy sorting out her garden before we go out."

Sonic felt his temper sizzling at the sight of 'The Creep'. Just hearing him speak coolly was getting on the blue hedgehog's nerves, if he wasn't worked up enough already. "That's not a problem," he growled, "Because I'm here to talk to _you_."

Jecht's eyebrows rose as he stepped back to allow Sonic to enter. He closed the door again once the blue hedgehog had stormed in, and smirked. "I was thinking of talking to you, as well... I was a little surprised to see a bunch of flowers at my girlfriend's doorstep yesterday," he said, enjoying Sonic's reaction to the word 'girlfriend'. "Tulips, interesting choice," he remarked scornfully. "They mean perfect love, did you know that?" He snickered. "Four red coloured ones for confession, four pink for affection and four cream coloured for 'I will love you forever'." He shook his head condescendingly, and continued, "I didn't know that you were after her."

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Sonic deepened his glare at the other male, ignoring his pitiless mockery. "What did you do with them?"

Jecht smirked again, pleased at his own ability to remain calm whilst the blue speedster became increasingly agitated. "Well I wasn't too happy with somebody else taking an interest in my girl, so I dumped them," he announced casually.

Sonic felt himself swearing at 'The Creep' mentally, deciding not to voice the words in his head. Before he could consider a more neutral reply, Jecht beat him to it.

"Anyway, let's forget that for now. Why did you want to talk me?" he said. "Are you finally making an effort to be to civil with me properly or are you apologi-"

"Does _this_ ring any bells?" Sonic demanded, interrupting Jecht. He held out the ID card that he'd found, noting the quick stab of panic that crossed Jecht's face.

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Jecht pasted his casual expression back on again despite feeling somewhat daunted that Sonic had found his card.

Damn it, he thought. Too careless, Jecht. Hmm... It doesn't matter; I can still fix this.

"Yeah. That's mine," he stated, confirming the obvious.

"I know, it's yours," Sonic hissed, refraining from using the several rude names that appeared in his mind. "Aren't you even going to try and tell me that you're _not_ an agent?"

Jecht snickered, not hesitating to condescend the other male. "You know that I'm an actor, right? It's a _prop_, Sonic," he scoffed.

"Oh yeah?" Sonic stepped closer to him and pointed to the shiny symbol on the corner of the card. "If it's a prop, then explain why it has a security code and a hologram. They're only on _real_ ID cards."

Jecht feigned a contemptuous expression and chuckled. "I didn't know you were so touchy about what I use in my career. But look, it's not my call if you don't like what's on the props that I use. I can't help it if their detailed. My manager sorts out that stuff, not me."

.

Sonic sensed himself becoming even more agitated. "Playing dumb won't help you, pal," he said, his tone becoming more hostile by the second. "I know this thing is real and nothing you say is gonna is make me change my mind, so don't bother trying. Who are you working for and why are you using Amy?" he said, positioning himself closer still to the green hedgehog. His body language was offering nothing but a threatening aura and he knew it.

Jecht's mind was racing as he tried to catch hold of the situation. Sonic was firmly set on the belief that the card was real – which was true of course – and it seemed rather pointless to try and convince him otherwise. But still, openly admitting it wouldn't be a good idea either, he knew. He raised an eyebrow purposely. "I'm telling you, it's, a, _prop_," he said, sounding out each syllable individually. He noticed Sonic's frown intensifying as the blue hedgehog opened his mouth to speak but Jecht swiftly continued. "And even if I _was_ some kind of agent, or whatever," he said, "What would that have to do with mine and Amy's relationship?" He noticed Sonic twitch slightly at the last few words of his sentence, but decided to ignore it.

"Look a little closer," said Sonic. "The start date of the career is roughly two weeks ago, the same time that you met Amy." His confidence was boosted as a momentary flash of discouragement intersected Jecht's expression.

.

The green hedgehog's determination was wavering, but he held firm. "So?"

"So something's up," Sonic concluded, his mouth still drawn into a scowl. "I'm asking you again, who are working for and why are you using her?"

Jecht ignored the question. "Sounds like you're suffering from the green monster."

"Yeah, except the only green monster around here is _you_! Answer the question!"

"You keep asking me that and I'll just keep giving you the same answer. That card is an insignificant prop that has no meaning."

Sonic's eyes gleamed with the chance to turn the tables, despite the riled look on his face. "Okay. So if this is just a prop, you got no problem with me snapping it?" He held the card between his thumb and forefinger, and began to bring them closer together, bending the thin layer of plastic. It was slowly curving into a sharper arc-shape, evidently close to cracking.

Jecht bit the insides of his mouth, fighting the urge to rip it out of Sonic's hand. If that card broke, Dr. Eggman would _not_ be happy, let alone the fact that Jecht needed it to access Eggman's base. Luckily, Sonic didn't seem to know that the card was also a digital key  
for the evil scientist's headquarters. Whether he did or not, that card was important. Jecht's will collapsed as his arm shot out to reach it. "Hey, I need that!" he cried indignantly.

Sonic promptly held his arm out at an unreachable distance. "Because it's _real_?" he taunted.

"No," Jecht said slowly through gritted teeth. "Because it's part of my job."

Sonic narrowed his eyes again. "Your job as an agent," he stated.

"No-"

"Don't lie to me, Jecht!" He knew how aggressive that had sounded and it didn't bother him. This guy was really winding him up.

.

Naturally, Sonic was good-natured most of the time, but if someone like Jecht got his temper flaring it would be their funeral. Injustice was one of the few things that could make him angry, and using somebody that he _loved_ pretty much filled that category. Amy was innocent – definitely not stupid – but innocent, and she was more than happy to accept the affections of almost anyone. So she would be easy prey for some jerk like _Jecht_, and he was no doubt taking advantage, for whatever reason. That infuriated Sonic to no end. He could count on one hand the amount of times that he'd been this livid. His fists were now clenched, itching to ram themselves into that creep's face. He saw Jecht's mouth opening again to defend himself, and his voice rose in anger. "Why are you going out with Amy!" he demanded. His self-control not to punch the other male was slipping, and Jecht's defiant gaze was not helping.

There were a few things that Jecht could've said in response, and he chose the most powerful phrase solely for the purpose of saving himself the trouble of explaining anything further. "Because I love her!" he cried, which was, of course, a lie.

.

What happened next was so fast that Sonic had no time to comprehend his reaction. Like most parts of his life, he acted on impulse, and it was strong. Within a second of the words leaving Jecht's mouth, Sonic's fist was thrust into the green hedgehog's face, jerking his head back. Jecht brought his eyes back to meet Sonic's, his mouth bending downwards as he glared at his opponent. "What the hell was that for!" he shouted.

If looks could kill, both hedgehogs would have died instantly. Sonic's gaze with lined with a dislike so violent that it was sailing passed the line of hatred. "I'm not in too great a mood, _Jecht_," he snarled. "And I know that you don't truly care for her, so what's the real reason that you're with her?" His fists were nearly shaking he was so worked up.

Jecht knew before he even replied that what he would say would be a bad idea but what choice did he have? "I told you! Because I love her!" Once again, he saw the flare of aggression in Sonic's eyes before a punch smashed into his face. His temper was beyond boiling point now, as was Sonic's. Another punch was probably due soon, and the only issue preventing Jecht from retaliating was his mission. If he got into a fight with Sonic then there was a good chance that Amy would stop talking to him, at least for a while. He couldn't afford to take that chance, he'd come too far. Still, Sonic was asking for it. He was definitely the first person ever to punch him and get away with it.

.

Jecht was sizing him up, analysing him quickly. It was unusual to see such fierce determination, such unbridled protectiveness in someone like that.

But is it for _her_? he thought carefully.

The blue hero was outraged to say the least, but perhaps it was just the tension between the two of them. Jecht was considering testing his suspicion, and he knew that it would only provoke Sonic further, but he was not far off from fuming, himself.

"I'm asking you one, last time," Sonic growled. But before he could finish Jecht interrupted him.

"How can you say that my feelings aren't real?" he hissed. "I mean what would you know about love? What – you thought that _you_ and Amy had a chance together?" He began to laugh maliciously.

That was it. Sonic literally felt his willpower crack. Jecht knew instantly that he'd just overstepped the line and he didn't care.

.

Both males lunged forwards, their clenched hands colliding. Their arms were being forced against each other's, locked in position. Their limbs shook with the tension from their muscles as they fought to hold each other off. Sonic pressed harder, grunting from the effort. He relaxed for less than a second before using the break to inject even more energy into his arms, causing Jecht to stagger backwards. The green hedgehog quickly recovered by pushing himself away from the wall. He spun around and swung his fist towards Sonic's head, who jumped out of the way. Using that as an idea, Sonic took the moment to jump upwards again, whilst drawing his leg up to his chest. In a single, fluid movement, he shot his leg out again, slashing it straight into Jecht. Several little jabs of pain were trying to unsettle the jade male, but he ignored them. Jecht leaped back up immediately and dashed behind Sonic's back. He jumped as high as the room would allow, directing his landing to smash into his blue opponent.

.

Sonic felt pain sear through his back as he was forced to the floor. He groaned under his breath.

Now that's just fighting dirty! he thought furiously.

He blotted out the pain as he forced himself upright again. Jecht was smirking at him through his bang quills, his eyes gleaming. Sonic suppressed a growl before rapidly curling himself into a ball as his spin dash kicked into action. He spun faster and faster and his ball of destruction pounded Jecht, who held his arms out, desperately trying to defend himself. The green male gritted his teeth, struggling to hold Sonic back. His gloved hands were becoming sorer by the second. He glanced to the side and was surprised to see Amy walking through the door. She paused in her tracks, staring at the two males, one crashing into the other. Her eyes were wide as she shouted, "_Sonic_! _Stop_!"

Sonic fell out of his spin dash. He shot a fierce look at Jecht, who returned it. Their gazes locked again as they panted heavily, ready to lash out at any moment. Amy shook her head, bewildered, as her eyes narrowed. Sonic stole one last glower at Jecht, before turning to face the other way, briefly lifting his hands to show that he'd stopped. Jecht was glaring daggers at him, still fuming that the blue hedgehog had got the last hit. Maybe it was petty but Jecht didn't care, _nobody_ hurt him and got away with it. He didn't even consider the risks of what he was about to do, he was past caring. Amy watched him as he walked over to Sonic and tapped him on the shoulder, still breathing heavily.

.

Just as Sonic turned his head to face him, Jecht slammed his fist against Sonic's jaw. The impact was so strong and unexpected that it sent the hero flying backwards and he crashed into a coffee table, smashing a picture frame in the process. The glass from the small frame shattered and the sound echoed in the room. Sonic suppressed a moan as he clenched his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain that reverberated through his being. Amy was stunned. For a second she could only stare in horror at the violent scene before her. The reality of it soon sank in and rage boiled inside her. "JECHT!" she screamed. "GET OUT!"

Jecht whipped around to face her, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Realisation dawned on him as he came back to his senses.

Now what the hell do I do? "Amy, I..."

"OUT! NOW!" she cried, her hammer appearing in her hand. Her brow was furrowed angrily; she was serious about striking him, he knew.

He headed to the entrance of the house, swearing under his breath. "We'll talk about this later," he said firmly, and retreated out the door as she raised her hammer.

She lowered it again and it vaporised, allowing her breathing to return to a normal rate. She quickly remembered Sonic and rushed over to him as he staggered to his feet. "Sonic," she breathed. "Are you alright?" Her voice was filled with worry as she gently held his arm.

He smiled warmly at her, despite the several cuts and grazes that now coated his body.

.

The anger that had possessed him to attack Jecht was now completely vanished, replaced with the calm aura that Amy seemed to bring. "I'm okay," he said softly. He craned his neck to the side to observe his upper arm, where the pain was particularly strong, although most of it had subsided from merely being near her. A small pool of blood was forming below his shoulder and he winced. Not many people knew this, but he wasn't that great at dealing with blood and it unnerved him to see it coming from his own body. "Except, err... there's red stuff leaking from my arm," he pointed out, trying to suppress the alarm in his voice with his humour.

Amy gasped as she saw the crimson liquid oozing from his skin. "You're bleeding!" she cried, and instantly pulled him to the sofa, sitting him down. She sat beside him and studied the cut again, biting her lip in concern. "I think that was the picture frame wasn't it?" she said quietly. Amy promptly left her seat to race into her kitchen, rummaging through cupboards for a first-aid kit. She grabbed one and hurried back, sitting next to him again.

Sonic glanced at the green box sceptically. "Got any needles in there?" he said nervously.

"_Sonic_," she said, raising an eyebrow, in spite of her concern. "All you need is a little anti-septic solution." She pulled out a small brown bottle and a cotton wool pad and said, "It's a clean cut so it should heal pretty quickly on its own."

.

He couldn't help smiling at her fussing over him, like his very own nurse, he mused.

She unscrewed the lid and let a few drips of the fluid leak onto the pad. "This might sting," she warned him, and pressed it firmly against his arm.

He almost jumped as a nasty twinge of pain hit his wound. He noticed her regarding him closely and he forced a smile through his gritted teeth. "Nothing I can't handle," he assured her. He found his cheeks heating up as he watched her, a grin tugging at his lips.

She continued to apply pressure to the small gash, occasionally peeping underneath the cotton pad to check if the bleeding had abated. She'd been so caught up in tending to him that she hadn't even come to terms with the fact that she'd hardly ever been this close to her blue hero before without him needing to rush off. A light blush tinted her cheeks as she dabbed at his arm, a small smile creeping onto her muzzle. Amy loved to help him in even the smallest ways, so having the chance to try and aid him with an injury was exciting in some ways. Of course, she would never wish any harm upon him, but the pink hedgehog couldn't help feeling a small thrill as she took in a deep breath quietly, inhaling his scent. It had always been a rare luxury to spend time with him alone, and as of late it was becoming even more uncommon.

.

A sudden thought popped into her mind as she glanced up into Sonic's captivating, electric-green orbs. For a split second she was spellbound by them, but she brought herself back into focus and frowned slightly. "Why were you and Jecht fighting?" she asked.

His eyes met hers and the spark reduced as he was reminded of the fight. "I found his ID card," said Sonic, getting straight to the point as always. "He's an agent."

"_What?_" she said incredulously, releasing the cotton pad in surprise.

"The card clearly said that his career is an agent," he stated. "Look I'll show you." He reached into his back quills, waiting to feel the hard sheet of plastic, but he didn't. His eyes narrowed as his hands reached further into his quills, but still he found no card. He cursed mentally. 'The Creep' must have somehow gotten it back during the fight. He returned his hands in front of him. "Well, I don't have it anymore," he admitted, "I guess he got it back when we fought. But it was there in black and white."

Amy stared at him. "Sonic... Jecht's an actor. That was probably one of his props," she said.

He reflected her expression as his own brow furrowed. "Yeah, that's what he said, but he's lying." He paused, noting the bewilderment in her eyes. "It even had a validity hologram on it. He's using you, Amy."

* * *

**:O Gasp shock horror! We all know that it's true, but will Amy believe Sonic? There's only one way to find out! ;)  
Hopefully Sonic wasn't OOC, I know he's not really violent but he was pretty mad so yeah... My first fight scene, hopefully it was readable :)  
In case you're wondering, I looked up the flower meanings so they might not be correct but most sites said the same thing. ****Thanks for reading!**

**Sonic says review! :P**


	12. Inconsolable

**Quickest update I think! :D Thank you, x_RedRockerx,__ Mana the Cat Magician_, and _silverdawn2010,_ such quick reviews! :O  
So, will Amy listen to Sonic?...**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Inconsolable**

The pink hedgehog's brow drew together as her mouth curved downwards. "I see that you two clearly don't get along but I'd prefer it if you didn't jump to conclusions about Jecht. I don't want you to make up rubbish about him either," she said.

"I'm telling the truth! You've got to believe me; he's using you."

"Alright then, what for?" Amy demanded.

Sonic paused. "I don't know but I'm gonna find out," he said. He was a little hurt by the disbelieving look on her face. She was staring into his eyes as if he were crazy, or possibly just unreasonable. Her own eyes were wet. The conversation was distressing her, he realised, but he couldn't understand why. Jecht was a good for nothing jerk, why couldn't he make her see that? She'd always trusted him and taken his word for everything, but it seemed that had changed in the past two weeks. "I know it seems kind of weird to say this stuff but I'm trying to help you," he said.

.

Amy wasn't sure how to react. In moments, she'd gone from drifting in waves of peaceful happiness, to being thrown into an awkward frustration between them. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she shook her head. "Since when have you ever tried to help me, Sonic?" she said, her voice becoming slightly higher. "Where were you when I needed you? What about all of the times that I've needed a shoulder to cry on, or for somebody just to stand by my side until I felt better?" Her voice was wavering uncontrollably as she tried to force back the tears that threatened to spill. "Jecht... he's always with me. He holds my hand and he tells me that he loves me every day. That's something that you - " She bit her lip, tears now brimming in her eyes, and rephrased her sentence, hoping that he hadn't heard her mention him. "That's something that nobody has ever done for me."

.

Sonic was dazed, but his frown reappeared at the thought of Jecht. The green hedgehog couldn't possibly be that caring person that she made him out to be. "How can you believe that he could ever love you?" he said. As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it. He'd been hoping to compare Jecht to himself, to try and show how he felt for her. He'd even prepared himself for the big confession, but then it had come out all wrong. Anybody who heard that would've thought that he was putting her down; trying to make it seem like nobody could care for her. Of course he hadn't intended it to sound that way, but by the look on her face he knew that she'd taken it badly.

She stared at him as if he'd hit her. Her pained expression morphed as she scowled at him. "Sonic," she said firmly, although her voice was shaking. "I think you should leave now."

"Y-you want me to go?" he asked, shocked and annoyed at himself for saying something so stupid.

"Yes, that's what 'leave' usually means!" she snapped. Her tears were no longer trembling at the corners of her eyes; instead they rolled down her cheeks. She glared at him, but the fierceness in her gaze was unmistakably powered by a sudden, wounded sadness.

He got up from his seat, but then stayed still to watch her closely, trying to send a mental apology, he supposed. It was as if he was attempting a silent understanding but she was blocking it. He intensified his gaze, testing her sincerity when she'd told him to go. She continued to stare him down icily, and his ears lowered. He said nothing as he slowly trudged out the door, without looking back.

.

Amy watched the door close defiantly, forcing the firm expression to stay on her face despite the lack of audience. After a moment, she realised that Sonic had actually left and she allowed her shaking legs to collapse as she landed on the sofa. She breathed a deep sigh, but it was broken up with her quiet, hiccupped sobs. Tears streamed down her cheeks; every time a single droplet would trickle down to her chin and fall to the floor, another would replace it. Her watery gaze turned to the floor, beside the overturned coffee table, where the smashed photo frame was laying face down. She leaned forward and picked up, gingerly holding it in her hands and returning to sit on the couch. She flipped it over and examined the photograph inside. Her heart beat harder; it felt like it had been wrenched from her. Underneath the shards of glass, was a photo of herself and Sonic. It was taken a few months ago, when she'd glomped him yet again, grinning happily. He'd tried to unlatch her arms from around him, frowning uncomfortably with a blush on his face.

.

Amy looked at the picture intently, realisation sinking into her as she began to understand the message that was beneath the surface. That photo was solid proof of everything that she'd feared. Her friendship with Sonic was frail, teetering on the edge of disintegrating completely. How could she not have seen it? She'd spent most of the time that she'd known him trying to make her way into his life properly, and where had it got her? Nowhere. And then Jecht had showed up, and Sonic had become even more distant than usual, avoiding her completely. Now that she thought about it, when Sonic had met Jecht he'd tried not to. He'd been hiding in a bush, for goodness' sake! Amy had been too occupied to even consider why he'd been in the shrubbery, she didn't think to question it, but it was obvious. He was hiding from _her_, wanting to get away from her. All of those years that he'd ran from her, and she'd ignored it, just buried it along with the rest of her doubts. Then occasionally, the hurt would surface for a while, leaving her in tears time and time again, and still she persisted with him.

.

Ugh, what was _wrong_ with her? She'd been so blind to even have a trace of hope that he truly cared. And as for the day's events, well, he'd out rightly told her that she couldn't be loved. Maybe his wording wasn't strictly for the purpose of hurting her, but between the lines, he'd basically said that she was incapable of attracting love or affection. It was so unbearably ironic, she thought, that the one person who she poured out her heart to was also the one to destroy it.

It was all... for _nothing_, she realised slowly. She gritted her teeth as the warm droplets continued to leak from her eyes, blurring her vision of the photo. When Jecht had come into her life, she felt so good. It was such a refreshing feeling to have somebody actually showing love for her. He'd made her happier; he'd lessened the pain that Sonic had caused. It was still there of course – it was inescapable – but it didn't seem quite so bad. But because of that, she was losing Sonic. She was losing the person that she loved the most but at the same time losing the grief that he gave her. She let out a sob. How could life throw such horrible choices at her, and expect her to deal with them?

.

Just as the thought entered her mind, a _lone_ teardrop splattered onto the frame in her hands, passing the broken glass and soaking into the photo, gently smudging that area of the image. Alone: just how she felt. Not to mention that she felt lost, stuck on replay of thoughts of herself and Sonic. She knew that deep down; all that she'd ever really wanted came down to him. A glance at the clock made her sigh again, as she held her head in her hands. The night was already settling, spreading its inky blackness across the sky. She was relieved that the day had ended, which was highly unusual for her. Although, she wouldn't be able to sleep, that was for sure. She clutched the small photo frame tighter. For a split second she wondered why she was holding it so tightly. It wasn't the best of pictures, and yet she refused to put it down, because it would be like letting go of everything, completely. She held it closer to her, shaking from her sobs. Amy didn't know _how_ to let go, she realised, or she was just afraid to. As she sat curled up on the couch, crying quietly, she knew that there was one word to describe herself at that moment. Inconsolable.

.

Sonic's eyes were on the stars once again, as he lay in the grass. For the second time in a row, he'd decided to sleep outside to avoid the concerned questioning from Tails. He'd chosen a hill rather than a tree, just on precaution that he didn't have another nightmare and could possibly fall out of the tree. But in the end it hadn't bothered him much; he was way too lost in the guilt that led from the earlier events. What he'd said, or rather, the way he'd worded it, was an honest mistake. He'd never wanted to hurt her at all. But what made him really mad, was that he let himself walk away without a word. At the time, he'd just done as she'd said and walked out, but now he was regretting it more than anything. Doing that probably worsened her sadness, _not_ solved it. He frowned.

Why did I do that? Man, that has got to be one of the stupidest things I've done, he thought crossly.

Amy was such an amazing person, she didn't deserve to be hurt like that.

And I was the one who did it...

.

Sonic could've punched himself for being such an idiot. He'd messed up the one chance to fix things. He was a hero: he was supposed to make things right, not wreck them entirely. The more that he thought about it, the more that he felt the sheer hopelessness of regret unravelling inside him. If Amy could've been there beside him, he swore to himself that he'd tell her _everything_. Everything about the past two weeks, and everything that he'd felt over the past five years. But he couldn't go back now, as much as it pained him to admit it. Their relationship was fragile as it was, it was close to shattering. He bit his lip, knowing that he couldn't take it if their friendship was lost. They'd come so far, and then some green creep came along and suddenly they were lost, unknowing where they stood with each other. Sonic partly blamed himself for letting it happen, and then there was always Jecht, who'd done his fair share in the destroying front. Sonic was sure that the green hedgehog was using Amy for something. In fact, he knew it, but he couldn't begin to think what it could be. Nobody would ask someone out after only two weeks, it was unusual, he thought. Yes, Jecht was definitely up to something. It made Sonic feel compelled to keep him away from Amy, but that idea had gone down the drain.

.

After a while, Sonic had slowly admitted to himself that he was a tiny bit jealous, but that wasn't his reason for being so annoyed with Jecht. If anyone messed with Amy, Sonic found himself becoming agitated, maybe even protective over her. Of course, the reason for that wasn't secret anymore; he'd already worked out that part.

Because I love her...

He wasn't sure where that thought had come from but he didn't bother to hold it back or deny it. He was past the stage of denial. If he was honest with himself, he didn't know what stage he was at but it was not fun.

Huh, _that's_ an understatement, he thought bitterly. But there was no point dwelling on this stuff, he knew. It wouldn't change the way that things had worked out, although he wished more than anything that he could. Amy Rose was drifting away from him, away from his life, and that was possibly what she wanted, as much as it pained him.

.

His vision was becoming hazy as he felt the unfamiliar sensation of small tears at the corners of his eyes. He did nothing to wipe them away, he just sat. Though he hated crying, he was past caring about trivial things like that. As far as he was concerned, the only thing that mattered was getting Amy back, but... how? It seemed impossible now. The chances of it happening had been washed away along with the hopes of their relationship developing into something more. He continued to sit there for most of the night, not bothering to even consider sleeping. He sighed, just as Amy had done, unknown to him. He felt so discouraged that it seemed almost foreign to him. No, discouraged wasn't the word, he thought. Inconsolable. Yes. For the first time in his life, Sonic the Hedgehog felt completely, helplessly inconsolable.

* * *

**:O So Sonic and Amy's relationship is falling apart... :(  
Yeah I did use the inconsolable thing twice, it's called 'effect' :P And it's based on the song 'Inconsolable' by Backstreet Boys. If you know the song you will have noticed that some of the lyrics are kinda incorporated in the chapter (but I changed them, keep your hair on :P) And I don't care if I'm 'sad' for liking that song ^_^  
_silverdawn,_ just to leave you a little note :) Amy does still care about Sonic and she does believe him about the card but she thinks its a prop. From her point of view, its like he's jumping to conclusions (so it seems to her)  
Oh and BTW, before you say anything, in this story, Sonic and Amy HAVE known each other for 5 years :) So yeah, that's all for now, folks :P**

**Amy says review! :P (She told Sonic it was her turn to say that. Seems fair...) :D**


	13. Change of Plan

**Chapter 13! ^_^ Thank you, _Rachel-1994, xRedRockerx, Mana the Cat Magician, ChReNiC, silverdawn2010, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, November Ember, IHeartSonAmy _and _marylolsmith, _for your reviews. I really love receiving them and I'm so grateful to everyone who bothers reading this story; some people don't bother if it involves an OC :)  
So.. Sonic and Amy have been through a lot, both are feeling really down. But now we'll see a bit more of Jecht's mission coming into play again. Enough said, read on :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Change of Plan**

Jecht nodded again for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. Amy had rang him as soon as he'd got up, saying that she wanted to talk to him about the fight or something like that. So he'd gone over to her house, detecting the opportunity for some more information about Sonic, and he'd gotten plenty. But it wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for, such as something to do with the blue hedgehog's personality or something. No, instead she'd told him about their disagreement and how he'd upset her and so on. Of course he had to deal with it for his mission, but frankly, he was becoming slightly bored. The conversation seemed to be going nowhere of interest for him. Now and again, a small voice inside his head would propose the option of joining Sonic's team, but he shrugged it off. He couldn't do that; Dr. Eggman would be furious and he'd no doubt plot revenge. Plus, Sonic would definitely not allow Jecht to join them, and it would be too awkward anyway; he'd have to explain his real job and confess to using Amy, which would _not_ go down well. The concept was hopeless, Jecht knew, so he ignored it. Besides, Eggman was powerful, it was better to stay on his side, surely.

.

Once Amy had spoken about her conversation with Sonic, she'd asked Jecht about the ID card, and he'd calmly showed it to her, repeating the story that it was just a prop and that he'd recently used it for a performance. He'd cleverly covered the hologram with his thumb, feigning innocence and saying that he didn't know what Sonic was talking about and that there was definitely no hologram. As expected, she took it all in, failing to notice the security code along the bottom of the card. Then, when she'd proceeded to talk about the fight, he'd told her that he was wrong to retaliate and that he was sorry but his temper got of hand.

"You really hurt him," Amy said, frowning.

Jecht shrugged, suddenly thinking of a way to turn things around. "Yeah, but he hurt you," he pointed out. He knew that he'd hit a weak spot, as her eyes brimmed with tears.

"I know," she whispered.

He couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for making her cry; knowing exactly how it felt to be so helpless like that, but he ignored it.

I've got to focus, he thought. "He isn't worth your tears," he said. "I know! You could think about all of the bad things about him, it'll make you feel better."

.

It was a long shot to hope that she'd spill some information, but considering the state she was in, it was worth a try.

"I wouldn't do that!" she cried. "Besides, there's nothing I'd change about him. Even the things that sometimes bother me, like his ridiculous ego," she said mournfully.

Jecht felt like patting himself on the back. His assignment would be complete in no time, he knew. Most of the forms that Eggman had given him were already filled out. "His ego's that bad?" he asked casually.

"It's not _bad_," she said, quick to defend him Sonic despite the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "He's just sensitive about it. If anybody tries to say that he's slow, he feels like he has to prove himself to them." She sighed. "But that seems to be the only thing that he's sensitive about."

Jecht fought a smirk from appearing on his muzzle, putting on a concerned look. "Doesn't it get him into a lot of trouble?"

She paused, wiping her eyes. "Not yet. But I worry that it will, one day. Eggman probably has an idea already, but as long as he doesn't find out for sure then I guess Sonic will be okay." She shrugged sadly.

Jecht was pleased with himself, to say the least.

Turns out that Eggman _will_ find out for sure, he thought victoriously. Now all I have to do is write that into the forms before I forget.

.

Jecht would hardly ever admit any negative qualities about himself, but he had a terrible memory. He would only remember the things that he held closest to his heart, so he was grateful for the forms; enabling him to write down the information before it left his mind. He subtly reached into his back quills, relieved to find a pen. He smirked, before facing Amy again. "Sonic will be fine," he said. "Hey, can I use your bathroom?"

Amy nodded, and Jecht stood up to walk into the hall and then the small, tiled room. He closed the door, locking it quickly, and got out the pen and documents from his quills. They were still intact, he noticed proudly. He hurriedly filled in another box with his small, blocky handwriting, and flushed the toilet to make a noise, before walking out again. He suddenly halted before entering the lounge, eyeing a table at the side of the hallway. It was full of papers, a perfect place to hide his own forms. Jecht knew that having the forms on his person would be the safest place, but his quills could easily tear them, or make them completely unreadable, and that wouldn't be a good idea. He wanted to make sure that Dr. Eggman had no reason to fire him, and so far, it seemed to be going well. Besides, by the looks of the large mess on that table, it was unlikely that Amy looked through it often.

.

Jecht smiled to himself. Yes, the table would make a good spot to keep the forms, just for the moment of course. He carefully placed them underneath the pile, shuffling the sheets on top to cover them. He stood back to admire his work, smirking.

I'll get them back later, he thought as he returned to the sofa beside Amy.

And anyway, I'm sure that Dr. Eggman will want an update soon, so they won't be left for long.

He let himself fall back into conversation with the pink hedgehog, breezing along confidently. He didn't bother trying to get more information out of her; there was no point if Dr. Eggman was going to call him. And there was no reason that he couldn't have a genuine conversation with her, was there? Still, it would be useful if the doctor contacted him soon. Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated in his quills, and he stopped talking to get it out.

Speak of the villain, he thought.

Sure enough, Eggman was calling him. He hastily explained to Amy that he needed to take this call, and ran outside to talk freely.

.

Amy watched him run into her front garden. She couldn't help wondering what he was talking about, although he'd said that it was his boss calling. She frowned slightly, knowing that it was probably wrong to consider eavesdropping. She took a moment to dither in her seat, before curiosity got the better of her and she tiptoed to the front door, her ears upright. Jecht's voice found her ears, but he seemed to be speaking quietly. What could be so private?

"Yes," he was saying. "Yes, I've done exactly as you've asked. No. I'm sure." He paused, blowing his bang quills out of his eyes. "I assure you; I would not let that happen. Yes. Alright, I'll do that as fast as I can. I'll explain the rest when I meet you later." He suddenly held the phone away from his ear, as the person on the other line was obviously shouting something. Then the discontinue tone rang out in the fresh air, and Amy blinked.

She may have only heard one side of it but that sounded like a pretty weird conversation. She noticed Jecht returning and she rushed back into the lounge. He strolled back inside and looked at her.

"Sorry, Amy, my boss wants to meet me A.S.A.P," he said. "I'm gonna have to leave now, it's important."

Her brow creased in disappointment. "Can't you stay for longer? You only just got here!" she moaned.

"I know, but I don't want to be fired," he said calmly. "I really need to go."

"Oh, alright," she huffed.

He winked at her, sweetening her with his charm and sauntered into the hallway with the table. He quickly retrieved his documents, and walked outside again, towards the forest.

.

Amy rested her chin in the palm of her hand, allowing her mind to drift deeply into thought. It eventually struck her as odd that Jecht had left without giving a reason to meet his boss. What could be so important that he'd need to meet him urgently? She pouted, crossing her arms. She'd wanted somebody to comfort her and then the only person that would needed to leave. Typical for her, wasn't it? Nobody seemed to have time for her, anyway. She pictured Jecht, wondering about Sonic's suspicions. She trusted Sonic, of course. She'd trust him with her life and she'd risk it for him, too. He was telling the truth about the card, but perhaps he imagined the hologram part. She'd seen it herself and there was definitely no hologram. Sonic was no liar, but he had an active imagination and now Amy knew that he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with the green hedgehog. Still, it was strange Jecht having to run off so quickly. She remembered his phone call. What was it that he wasn't supposed to let happen? She suddenly shook her head.

Sonic was just imagining things, she thought fiercely. I know that Jecht is an actor, so I'm sure he's busy. I'm not going to let myself doubt him, not like Sonic does.

She felt her heart sink at the thought of her blue hero. She'd never been hurt by him _that _badly. She wiped her eyes again, trying hard not to let the tears fall.

I should feel lucky, she told herself. I have Jecht. I don't need Sonic!

She closed her eyes sadly.

Then why do I feel so empty?

.

The sun was shining just as brightly as it had over the past week, to Jecht's disliking. He reflected over his reasons for finding the sunshine so irritating as he walked through the trees. It was as if the sun was deliberately trying to scorch his back, it always shone so intensely, regardless of the situations on the planet below it. He narrowed his eyes slightly. That was why he hated the sunlight, it seemed to mock him. It portrayed happiness in its rays while he was feeling the exact opposite, most of the time. He replaced the thoughts with his assignment. Dr. Eggman was going to find him using a tracker that Jecht kept, so the hedgehog wanted to be sure that he was out of sight when the evil scientist found him. His thinking was interrupted as he came across a particular cerulean hedgehog, who also appeared to be deep in thought, with his blue ears flattened.

.

Jecht allowed a smug grin to creep across his muzzle. "Well, look if it isn't Mr. Anger himself," he called.

Sonic looked up, startled. His ears perked up and then lowered again at the sight of his green rival. He decided against a comeback, ignoring 'The Creep' and turning the other way.

"Not gonna punch me for being within several metres of you?"

Sonic gritted his teeth, slowly turning to regard the other male. Jecht's eyes gleamed, proud that he'd got Sonic's attention.

"I just want to know why you seem so protective over my girlfriend," he said, enjoying the irritation on Sonic's features. "You were going to give her flowers, and then you fight me because I mentioned your incompatibility with her," he said, stating it as if it were an everyday conversation. "I thought that you were jealous of the attention, but then again, maybe you do have feelings for her?"

Sonic scowled. "This isn't 'The Jeremy Kyle Show,'" he grumbled.

"It was just a question," remarked the green hedgehog, putting on casual innocence.

"Shut up, Jecht. I haven't got time for you," Sonic said, his voice sounding almost tired.

Jecht narrowed his eyes, annoyed. "Believe me, you're not that much of a treat to talk to, either," he snarled. "I've got stuff to do. Later, _Sonic_." With that last statement said, he ran further into the trees, determined not to be distracted from his task. Once he'd decided that he was far enough away, he pulled out the forms from his quills again, to check them over. They seemed to be in order, thankfully. His eyes scanned over the information, verifying it. They suddenly widened as he realised that a page was missing.

.

Jecht shuffled through the papers again, panic stamped on his face.

No _way_, he thought. No, no, no, _NO_!

He raked his free hand through his three bang quills, his teeth sinking into the insides of his mouth. Dr. Eggman would _kill_ him if he found out! Jecht desperately scanned his memory. Where could he have left it? Realisation swamped him, and he released his tight grip on his quills. Of course, he must have left it at Amy's by mistake.

I'd better get it before Dr. Eggman comes looking for me, or I'm stumped.

He turned back to the direction of his so-called 'girlfriend's' house and ran. He pumped his legs harder than he ever had before, willing the missing sheet to be there.

I'll just grab it and run back, he thought as he forced his legs to go faster. Yeah, that's the plan. Hopefully the doctor won't even be near me by the time I've got it.

* * *

**Mwa ha ha ha haaaa... Hopefully for you, indeed :P  
So yeah Jecht has a bad memory. Just thought I'd throw that in there, to maybe imply that if anything were to happen with the papers, it would be bad for him :) But that doesn't mean anything _will_ happen to them, my lips are _zipped_!  
Will Jecht manage to get the lost sheet back in time? What was on it? Will Amy see it? Why am I asking these things? XD (Sorry, that was weird and cheesy :P)  
A great big thank you to _silverdawn _for the ego idea that she gave me a while ago. I told you I'd use it, didn't I? :) So thanks a bunch, that was great idea of info for Jecht.**

**Jecht says don't review? But he's the baddie in this story so don't listen! :P I'm gonna have to talk to him about that ¬_¬  
Reviewwww please :)**


	14. Plan Down

**Chapter 14! We're not far from the end, now! I'd say it's gonna be 1 or 2 chapters more :D! Once again, a big thank you to reviewers: _Therapy Angel_, _RockAngel2220, ChReNiC, Mana the Cat Magician, November Ember, silverdawn2010, IHeartSonAmy _and _Playingstars._ ^_^ Thanks guys!**

**This chapter is actually gonna start with Eggman's POV (still 3rd person, obviously) :O But of course it will also switch to Amy's and Jecht's blah blah blah I'll let you read.**

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Plan Down**

Eggman growled impatiently as he floated over the forest in his Egg Mobile. "Where is that worthless wannabe of a hedgehog?" He grumbled in his low, scratchy voice. He'd begun to trace the whereabouts of the green hedgehog subsequent to his phone call. The notorious villain narrowed his eyes further, as his hovercraft whizzed over the trees, causing the leafy tops to sway violently. His tracker was leading him out of the forest, and therefore out of the shady cover that the foliage provided. He felt his patience - or, what little that he had of it – slipping instantly away from him. If that hedgehog let himself be sighted, Eggman swore that he would make the unreliable creature suffer. He began to wonder why he'd hired Jecht in the first place. The younger male was obviously forgetful or just plain irresponsible, seeing that he hadn't bothered to update him recently. Although, Jecht had certainly been the keenest person to contact him, and also one of few. He was eager to prove his skills, surprisingly. Eggman breathed a sharp, agitated sigh. But still, if the latest member of his team had dared to make any kind of mistake, he'd regret it.

.

Sunlight suddenly interjected his gaze, reflecting off his darkly tinted goggles. He was out of the trees, he realised, as there was no longer any camouflage for him to blend into. This was getting rather risky, he knew. His hands were beginning to heat up considerably, becoming sticky inside his gloves with the perspiration. He focused himself, controlling his Egg Mobile expertly. Of course he, the great Dr. Eggman, would have no trouble staying out of sight. He glanced down at the tracker screen again, to see that his newly recruited agent had finally stopped, not far away. Eggman grunted and boosted the acceleration of his machine, anticipating the information that Jecht held. He eventually allowed a scheming grin to crawl up his face. This was definitely his greatest plan yet. Everything was going perfectly, and even that snivelling Sonic hadn't figured it out. He let out a sinister cackle. He'd trounce the blue brat before long, and then he would ultimately rule his well-deserved empire.

.

The large human suddenly slowed his hovercraft, irritated and startled at the place that he'd arrived at. A few metres ahead of him, was the house of Amy Rose, with the small, brown sign outside declaring so. He glared at it, knowing that his employee was inside. Eggman decided that it would be best to reverse back into the trees, hidden from view so that he could contact Jecht. He turned his machine around, keeping it in a low speed. A sudden, loud, voice cried out, stopping him in his tracks.

"A-ha!" bellowed Vector, one of his large, green arms by his side, the other pointing at Eggman accusingly.

Espio and Charmy were standing either side of him. Espio was quietly accusing as well, and Charmy was buzzing around indignantly.

"Caught in the act!" cried Vector.

Eggman scowled at the reptile. "And just what am I caught in the act of doing then?" he sneered.

"I don't know for sure, but something smells fishy around here," called Vector noisily.

"Yeah!" cried Charmy. "Why are you hanging around Amy's place?" he demanded.

Eggman feigned offended innocence. "How dare you!" he said. "I was merely _sightseeing_ and you accuse me of spying? It's none of your business what I'm doing here!"

.

Knuckles suddenly appeared in the scene, and walked to stand beside the Chaotix gang. "Yeah except you've already seen most of this place," he said, as Rouge sauntered over to stand next to him, as well.

"Looks like you're in a right little mess, doesn't it, Eggy?" Rouge taunted in her sultry voice.

Eggman glared at them, detecting their alert body language, prepared for battle at any given moment. He was about to shoot back a comment when a sudden flash of blue surprised them all, as Sonic skidded to halt beside Knuckles.

The crimson echidna turned to acknowledge his friend. "Sonic," he said as a greeting.

Sonic grinned half-heartedly, despite the unhappiness buried deep within the lime and olive layers of his green orbs. He turned to his long-term enemy, his smile bunching into a frown. "So, you gonna tell us what you're up to, Egghead?" he challenged. He clenched his fists, preparing his fighting stance, fully attentive and wary as to why the evil genius was near Amy's house.

This banter carried on endlessly, shouts coming from both the ground and the air. The commotion was so loud that it reached the ears of Amy Rose inside the walls of her house. She stormed over to the window, annoyed at the row, and peeped through the curtains. She gasped as her eyes fell on Eggman, arguing with the Chaotix team, Knuckles, Rouge and... _Sonic_. She ignored the way that her heart leaped at the sight of him, brushing it off with the pain that headed her way, as well.

.

She twisted her head back to look at Jecht, who'd run into her house moments ago. He'd arrived looking exasperated and flustered, possibly even panicked. He'd told her that he'd left a part of his business documents in her house, and asked to come inside and look. She hadn't questioned why he'd had them in her house anyway; she'd been too surprised, and she'd let him in without a second thought. She regarded her boyfriend, who was rummaging through papers on her table. "Eggman's outside," she told him.

His ears shot up at that statement, and he whipped around to face her. There was a brief shot of panic in his eyes, again. "He is?" he said.

Amy nodded, frowning as another shout pierced the quiet. "Yeah and he's creating a huge fuss out there!" She pointed to the window, and Jecht looked worried again.

He gritted his teeth, returning his attention to the sheaf of papers on the table. He started flipping through them faster, determined to find his missing sheet. Amy said nothing, and stared out the window again. She scowled at the racket outside, making a decision to go and see what all the excitement was about.

.

She stormed through her front yard, glaring at the noisy offenders. "_What_ is going on out here?" she screeched.

They all turned to face her, some looking slightly daunted at her frustrated expression. Knuckles spoke up. "We're just sorting out Eggman," he stated.

"Chill, Amy," Rouge said calmly.

Amy looked around the group to notice that Sonic was staring at the ground awkwardly. She narrowed her eyes at him. If he wouldn't acknowledge her then she would gladly return the favour. "Fine, just keep it down!" she ordered, before walking back into her house. Knuckles and Rouge looked at each other in surprise. They'd expected her to ward Eggman off or throw her hammer or something like that; anything but leave it and go back inside. They turned to Sonic, who was still looking down, his ears lowered. There was obviously something going on between the two hedgehogs but they said nothing and continued to interrogate Eggman.

.

Amy left the door open, knowing that there was no point being cautious with such a ruckus outside. She watched Jecht again. He was _still_ looking for that paper that he spoke of. She blotted out the noise, trying to think of ways to help him. He'd refused to let her aid him in his search, claiming that it was strictly confidential. Now that she allowed herself to think about it, everything seemed _bizarre _to say the least. First, the odd phone call, then he'd needed to rush off, then running back to look for a lost form that he'd supposedly left at her house. Not to mention that having Eggman outside her house was unusual in itself. She looked at Jecht again, a sudden thought striking her. Could it be that Jecht had something to do with-...? No, of course it wouldn't, she told herself sternly. How could she even consider that her boyfriend might be involved with _Eggman_? Perhaps she was just letting Sonic get to her, leading her to think this way.

Jecht is an actor, she reminded herself. _Not_ an agent, _not_ a spy and definitely _not_ working for Eggman. He's perfect, she thought fiercely. He's sweet and caring. And _he_ doesn't leave me in the dust!

She quickly changed the mental subject, realising that she was starting to think about Sonic.

.

The pink hedgehog begun to try and think of all of the places that she'd put paper down recently, deciding to help her boyfriend even if he was reluctant about it.

I remember moving paper this morning...

She grinned suddenly, as remembrance drifted through her mind. Yes! She'd moved a pile of paper from the table that morning because it'd been getting too cluttered. She walked to the worktop in her kitchen, smiling keenly with the hope of finding Jecht's article. Her slender, gloved hands brushed across the pile. She fanned out the sheets neatly, as she often did everything. Her eyes scanned over each piece of paper, logically disregarding each one, until she noticed an unfamiliar title at the very bottom of the mass. Delighted that she'd found the lost report, she picked it out and laid it on the top, sneaking a quick read.

.

Her eyes suddenly widened in shock as she read the first few lines. It was good that she wasn't holding anything at that moment, because she would have definitely dropped it out of astonishment. Her stomach lurched as if she'd just fallen, and a nasty, sinking feeling swept over her. She couldn't say anything for what seemed like hours, until she forced words to come out of her mouth. "Oh my _gosh_," she choked, her tone hushed into a whisper. She felt a shiver run down her back, as if an icy hand had traced her spine. It was impossible for her to catch hold of the reality that threatened to strike her. She blinked, refocusing her vision.

The top of the document clearly stated:

'_Jecht the Hedgehog: Agent #02, employee of Dr. Eggman. _

_Mission details: Locate Amy Rose the Hedgehog._

_Attempt to obtain information from her, regarding Sonic the Hedgehog._

_Record findings in the forms provided._

_Report to Dr. Eggman whenever possible.'_

.

Amy shook her head, still staring at the words. Unable to even think properly, she scanned the rest of the page. Below the mission details, was a large box, filled with Jecht's small handwriting. Her eyes darted to the bottom of the page, where it said: '_Page 1 of 10.' _She gasped.

_Ten_ pages? He has _ten pages_ full of information... about _Sonic_? Jecht was... _using_ me?

The words on the page began to blur and shake before her, as she realised that tears were tainting her view.

No, she thought angrily. No, there might be a mistake. I...

Her eyes were still wide open; she felt like some kind of ghost. She could do nothing but gawp at the sheet of paper in her shaking hand. Flashbacks of Sonic trying to persuade her that Jecht was an agent flew into her mind. She held the edge of the worktop to balance herself from the shock. Her legs felt like they were going to give way beneath her, but she forced herself to walk into the hallway where Jecht was still searching. Her hand slammed onto the table with the paper still in her grasp. "Is _this_ what you're looking for?" she cried. Her gaze bore into his, silently begging him to provide her with some form of denial. He was the one person in her life who seemed to treat her properly, and she didn't want that to end.

.

Jecht's eyes darted to the sheet in her clasped hand, and his mouth fell open in alarm. He stared at her in horror, his mind stripped of an excuse.

"Tell me that this isn't what I think it is, Jecht," she said quietly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Tell me that y-you're not a, a ... _fake_."

The silence that fell between them was almost painful. Jecht continued to gape at her, frozen. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't summon even the slightest noise from his mouth.

Think, Jecht! he cried mentally. Okay, okay, calm down. I've got this, I can still fix it. I'll think of something, she'll believe anything I say, right?

Despite his thoughts, he stayed silent, still groping for some kind of speech. His frantic, mental panicking was abruptly interjected as his wrist-communicator burst into life. Dr. Eggman's harsh, ordering voice shot through the device.

"JECHT, YOU INCOMPETENT IMBECILE!" he thundered.

Jecht nearly leaped several feet into the air, he was so startled. Both he and Amy stared at the contraption on his forest green arm, wide eyed. Jecht's ears flattened as he comprehended the situation. Dr. Eggman must have been listening somehow through his wrist-communicator, which would mean that he'd heard Amy and figured out Jecht's calamity. The green male swallowed, a bead of sweat sinking down his forehead, as the evil human continued.

"I should have known that you would fail me!" he bellowed. "Abandon your assignment! Just snatch up the forms and leave the house immediately! You hear that, hedgehog? IMMEDIATELY OR ELSE!"

.

Amy's mouth fell open. It didn't really make much of a difference whether she could speak or not, it would only come out as a hopeless stutter. Any words that she had planned were caught in her throat. There was no mistaking it; Jecht had been working for Eggman. It was a simple thing to take in but she couldn't get her head around it. It was so incredibly difficult to admit that he'd been using her, and for no other reason than to get information about the one person who she loved more than anything else in the world. Although it was also the one person who'd hurt her, time and time again. Whilst all of these fragmented thoughts whirled inside her head, she could no nothing but stare at Jecht. Her clasped hand unfurled itself, releasing the paper as it settled properly on the table. That was her mistake. Jecht's eyes flitted to the loose sheet, reminding himself of what he had to do. His hand shot out, nabbing the form and he dashed out of the house. Amy barely had time to blink before she understood what had happened, and it hit hard.

* * *

**:( Naughty Jecht! So Jecht's left her house with the retrieved paper, but will he be stopped, or will Eggman get the information to use on Sonic? Dum, dum, dummmm... (i'm too fond of using that saying, me-thinks :P)**

**Note: about the Egg Mobile thing. Personally I think it's an egg cup, lol, but according to several sites there are other names, such as: Egg Mobile, Eggmoblie, Egg Pod, Egg Carrier and Egg-o-matic. :/ But Egg Mobile was the most used so I chose that one ;)**

**And here's a random fact: Did you know that both 'actor' and 'agent' come from the same latin stem, '_agere,'_ meaning 'to do, act or drive.' Isn't that interesting? :O I found that in a great big dictionary and I thought 'How ironic? Cause Jecht's an agent but he's acting and he said he was an actor.^_^ Just thought I'd share some knowledge with you guys :P  
One more thing: I'm only gonna do the disclaimer at the beginning and end of a story, but, erm, you are allowed to do that right? :/**

**Anyway, Sonic says review! :P (Oh good, he's back XD)**


	15. Reality Sweetness

**First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who read, reviewed or added this story to their favourites. I loved writing it and in return I loved receiving your feedback. By the style of this A/N you can probably guess... that's right. This is the last chapter of 'Surrogate of Seduction'! :'( But anway, let's thank you luverly reviewers for the last time on S.o.S :) So that's _RockAngel2220, silverdawn2010, Therapy Angel, Mana the Cat Magician, November Ember, IHeartSonAmy, ChReNiC, marylolsmith, SonamyKitty_ and _Welshausten_. Gosh, that's a lotta reviews! :') Thanks guys. Hopefully the ending will satisfy you ^_^**

**So without further a-do, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the finale of 'Surrogate of Seduction'...**

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**Chapter 15 – Reality Sweetness**

Several pairs of eyes widened, including Sonic's, as 'The Creep' raced outside. The cobalt hedgehog didn't glare for once, still surprised at what he'd heard. Sonic had been certain that Jecht was bad news and that he'd been using Amy in some way, but he'd never imagined that the deep green hedgehog had been working for Eggman. He'd seen his enemy look at a wrist-communicator, as if listening. Then the evil scientist had hollered down the device, yelling at Jecht to exit Amy's house with papers of some sort. Sonic had raised his eyebrows in confusion, along with Knuckles, Rouge and the Chaotix group, who'd arrived at the scene before him. And in a matter of seconds, a dazed-looking Jecht had rushed into the open air, shocked and a little panicked. Sonic was still gawping at the two antiheroes before understanding flooded his being as he suddenly comprehended everything that had happened. His eyes narrowed into a glower at the green male as he finally managed to speak. "You were working for Eggman the whole time!" he cried, pointing a gloved finger at Jecht. "You _are_ an agent, and that means..." he trailed off, remembering his conversation with Amy. "You were using Amy!" He scrunched his hands into fists in anger.

Jecht looked bewildered, unsure of what to do. Eggman scowled at him. "Jecht! Climb up here!" he roared.

.

Jecht furrowed his brow in focus. He crouched down, before pushing off the ground in a mighty leap and landed perfectly on the Egg Mobile, his mass of quills swaying in protest. Eggman wasted no time commencing with his trademark, evil laugh, cackling loudly. Then, of course, he began a monologue, much to his audience's annoyance. "You may have figured out my scheme, Sonic, but that doesn't mean anything!" he sneered. "Take a look at my new resources," he crowed, gesturing to his hand now holding the sheaf of papers. "I have numerous pages of data all about _you_, my speedy little spike ball! And when I'm safe and sound in my ship, I'll use them against you, and there'll be nothing that you can do about it!"

Sonic stared at the papers.

He was using Amy to get info out of her, about me? I gotta admit, Egghead, that's your worst trick yet.

Sonic's friends all looked at him fiercely as he continued.

"I wouldn't congratulate your victory so soon, _hedgehog_, because with these papers in my possession, you're through!" he gloated.

Sonic prepared himself to spin dash the hovering vehicle, but was startled when a fuming, pink hedgehog rushed onto the scene.

.

Amy was undoubtedly furious. Her shock had quickly dissolved, replaced with a burning anger that flashed through her. Her emerald orbs almost seemed to have flames in them, she was so mad. As if to answer Eggman's taunts, she screamed, "Oh yeah?" All of a sudden, she jumped up and snatched the forms from Jecht's grasp. Before anyone had time to react, she landed down again, and her trusty hammer appeared in her spare hand.

The rest of the group watched nervously, wondering what she was going to do.

"I'll teach you to mess with _me_!" she cried. In one instant motion, she scrunched up the papers into a compact mass, threw it into the air and as it fell; she smashed it with her hammer. It whizzed through the air and became lodged in the large fan of the Egg Mobile, right on target. She kept her hammer poised, despite her work being done. Eggman and Jecht frantically looked down at the jammed bulk, simultaneously becoming conscious of what would happen. The small crowd below could only watch as the Egg Mobile suddenly exploded. The hovercraft evolved into a huge, blazing ball of fire, followed by a vast, black cloud of ash. The thick smoke was the only thing to be seen as the villain and his new recruit were sent hurtling into the distance from the blast.

.

Sonic and the rest of his group were stunned at how quickly the two had disappeared. They covered their eyes until the black dust settled, leaving dark, misty wisps in the air. Sonic immediately looked at Amy, making sure that she was okay. She seemed fine, despite her expression that was still positively _livid_. She was still standing, tensed into an aggressive stance, panting heavily. He was afraid to speak in case she rounded on him, but she stayed with her back to them all. Suddenly, her legs buckled beneath her and she fell to her knees. Her anger was doused as quickly as a snuffed-out candle. All of the adrenaline that fuelled her rage had been routed into misery, as she held her head in her hands, sobbing. Tears trickled through her fingers, tracing her arms and eventually landing on the floor in tiny puddles.

.

Sonic felt her sadness washing him out of anger as well as herself. He felt the urge to comfort her, and instantly raced to her side. He dropped to the ground to match her level, and put his strong arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her towards him. She didn't resist and threw herself in his arms, weeping onto his chest. He was a little stunned, but gingerly placed his other hand on her shoulder. His friends were just as surprised at him as he was himself. Charmy watched the two hedgehogs curiously.

"Does this mean that Sonic and Amy are-"  
Espio covered his mouth, hushing him. "Charmy," he said quietly, "Now isn't the time."

Vector scrutinised them. "If you ask me, they-" He was cut off as Espio sent him a stern frown, silencing him as well.

"Vector!" Espio hissed. He nodded to Rouge, who was in process of dragging Knuckles away before he made a comment, as well. He walked into the trees, signalling for Vector and Charmy to follow, and they reluctantly did, leaving Sonic and Amy alone on the grass.

.

Amy continued to cry softly, hiccupping for breath. Sonic gently placed his hand under her chin, lifting her watery gaze to meet his. "Hey," he said softly, "No tears."

She shook her head, spraying droplets from her eyes, and pushed herself away from his chest as if she didn't deserve to be there. "S-Sonic," she whimpered. "I'm so sorry. You were r-right about Jecht all along and I didn't listen to you. I have so much faith in you, it's just that, I-" She broke off, her voice rising, as the tears cascaded faster. "I didn't want to believe that Jecht was lying, because I just wanted somebody to care about me so badly, and it backfired. I never imagined that he was... _using_ me like that! I should have listened to you, I know I should have. I'd trust you with my life, Sonic, but I guess I was blinded by the fact that somebody wanted to be with me. Even though he _didn't_," she spat, pausing to inhale deeply, as if to stifle her sobs.

Sonic stared into her emerald green eyes with pure, sincere sympathy and concern. He was almost feeling her sorrow. "It's okay," he said sensitively.

Her eyes overflowed again, but she didn't bother to wipe away the tears. "No, it's not okay!" she cried. "You could have got seriously hurt because of me! What if Eggman had gotten away with those files? I mean, who knows what kinds of information Jecht got out of me? He could've done anything to you!"

.

Sonic held her arm comfortingly. "But you didn't let that happen," he reminded her. "You really socked it to him!" He winked at her.

She returned his gaze, and their eyes remained fixated on each other's. Both shades of green were regarding each other closely, trying to search for every single emotion in them. Her jungle green orbs were wide and brimming with tears, his lime green ones soothing and gentle. Amy had never felt so relieved to see him happy to stay beside her, but at the same time she still felt awful for distrusting him. Sonic scanned her expression.

"You loved him, didn't you?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. It pained him somewhat to say it, but he steeled himself for the answer.

"No," she replied. "No, I-... I didn't _love_ him, but I did care about him," she murmured, finally wiping her eyes. "But I've always preserved my heart my one person," she admitted. She looked him the eye, and he understood what she meant immediately.

He blushed, his small side-smile growing. Despite the awkwardness, he couldn't prevent the sparkling happiness from rushing around inside of him.

.

"I really am sorry, Sonic," she whispered, suppressing a sob. She meant it with all of her heart, he knew.

"Amy, it's okay," he assured her. "If anything, it's me who should be sorry."

She stared at him in wonder.

"I... Maybe I should have been more sensitive," he said slowly. "I blew you off and I ruined all of my chances for the five years that I've known you. Pretty stupid, huh?" He turned his gaze to the ground beneath them. "I really regret that."

She at last managed a petite smile to play around her lips, in spite of the watery droplets streaked down her face. "And even after that, I _still_ care for you," she giggled breathlessly, a tiny spark returning to her eyes for a moment. Then it was gone, as her smile faded away again and she returned to the main subject. "_I _was stupid to believe that Jecht liked me." She sighed in exasperation. "Really, really stupid," she repeated. She couldn't help thinking back to her last conversation with the blue hedgehog. "As if anybody would honestly love me."

.

Sonic looked at her intently, shocked at what she'd said. How could she think that about herself? She was the most amazing girl he'd ever met and she was more loved than she realised. He swallowed, his eyes falling to the ground again. Amy had told him what he'd been hoping to hear, so surely he owed her the same? He'd been preparing for this moment for days, and there was no escaping it now. He took her hands in his, returning his gaze to meet hers. She looked up at him in surprise, as he sent her a nervous smile. "_I_ do," he said. His voice was almost inaudible but he was sure she'd heard.

Her eyes practically doubled in size, it seemed, as she mulled over his last statement. She could do no more than to stare into his intense, green orbs, noting the unmistakable sincerity in them. She wanted so badly to say something, to show that she'd heard, but the words were caught by a thick net of hesitation and uncertainty.

.

Sonic's gentle smile grew along with his confidence. "I've... loved you for ages," he admitted, deepening his blush. "And yeah, I was an idiot for never telling you before, but you're the only person who can make me... like _this_," he said as he gestured to himself, as if to point out his red cheeks and his nerviness.

Amy was still stunned for words but at least her mind was finally working again, regarding how adorable Sonic was when he was nervous and jumpy. Her heart was thumping so hard she thought it would burst out of her chest. She was very aware of the fact that he was holding her hands. _Holding her hands?_ Sonic the Hedgehog had just told her that he _loved_ her, for goodness' sake! Her mind was spinning as if she was in a whirlwind and she was desperately trying to slow it down in effort to catch what her hero was saying.

"I know I've got a lot to make up for," he said sheepishly. "And I always ran because," he laughed anxiously, "I guess it sort of freaked me out how my heart felt like it was going to explode." He chuckled again, using it to cover his unease.

Damn it, Sonic! he thought. Quit fooling around and talk to the girl properly! "I'm making a real mess of this aren't I?" he said, putting it as more of a statement that a question.

Amy, still speechless, managed to shake her head. She'd been waiting years to hear this from him, and yet it sounded almost like a foreign language.

.

Sonic paused to search her gaze, sensing the questioning in them. He knew instantly that she was wondering about his behaviour with Jecht. "And as for Jecht," he said, his tone still smooth, "I acted like a jerk because... I... I was jealous of him," he said awkwardly, unfamiliar with admitting faults about himself. "Not because he's hot or whatever, but because he had _you_." He stopped, unsure of what else to say. "Not to mention that he was a creep," he said, grinning slightly as she giggled.

"Yeah and everything he said was lies," she whispered, ignoring the few glistening droplets that were still leaking from her eyes, glad that they'd at least slowed into a normal rate.

Sonic gave her hands a squeeze. "He may have said that stuff because of his job, but I think you're incredible, Amy." He blushed a little harder but was still unfazed by the confession. Before he could think, he'd already said, "You're beautiful, too."

She giggled again, and kept her eyes locked on his the entire time. He noticed her lack of speech and the way that her eyes shone with the wetness.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded giddily; shocked at herself that she hadn't leaped into his arms yet. She was too bewildered by the situation, although the shock was melting, along with her sadness. "I'm just so _happy_," she breathed. "It's hard to believe all this is happening."

He grinned, his eyes sparkling. "Want me to prove it to you?"

.

Before she could answer, he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. He was still holding her hands, and he let go to rest his own on her waist. Amy didn't think she'd been so shocked – and at the same time ecstatic – in all of her life. Her hands linked around his neck, as she closed her eyes, returning the kiss. It was nothing short of perfect. It felt as if there had been a missing section in their lives, and they'd suddenly found it in each other. Sonic felt his heart racing in his chest, faster than he could ever hope to run in his life. As he kissed the girl in his arms, his thoughts briefly passed all of the places that he'd been to, places that he knew he would now share with her: the girl that he'd fallen in love with. All of his adventures could never add up to the excitement that he felt with her. This was one of the rare times that he felt compelled to stay right where he was: with Amy at his side.

.

Amy was feeling just as oblivious to the world around them as Sonic was. Nothing could possibly compare to the feeling of his arms around her, protecting her, embracing her.

To say that the two hedgehogs were enjoying the moment would be an understatement. To them, it was literally flawless, unspoiled as nothing but bliss filtered through their minds. Both felt as if they were running hand in hand among the skies, guided only by their love for each other. They finally pulled away, grinning breathlessly. Amy smiled at the handsome hedgehog before her as he tenderly placed his hand on her cheek. He stretched his thumb upwards and wiped away the remaining tears from her eye. She smiled sweetly at him. "I never stopped loving you, Sonic," she told him, earning an even bigger grin from him.

He winked. "So are you gonna be dreaming up fantasies tonight?" he laughed. To his surprise she shook her head.

She leaned in again, giving him another kiss before responding. "My reality is so much better than any dream."  
He couldn't help his smile growing across his muzzle. As they held each other and kissed again, they both knew that it was true. What they had between them could easily surpass anything that their minds conjured during their sleep, and they knew that it always would.

* * *

**Hopefully that successfully captured the 'AWWWW' factor! I'm not that great at kissing scenes cause I have no experience so yeah I tried :) Just a few notes:  
I mentioned in this chapter that Jecht had a 'mass if quills'. Just to make that clearer, he has loads of thin quills, rather than 3 or 6.  
Secondly, I know that the line, 'Hey, no tears' is from Sonic X (10 points to those that can say which episode it was ;)) but I really wanted to put that in there, so I did! ^_^**

**I _might_ do an epilogue. Not as long as a full chapter, but just a small section to imply what happened to Jecht afterwards (If anybody cares) And it would kinda leave an untied end for the sequel (which I may or may not put on this site, it depends if you guys would read it). Jecht would be the main character in the sequel, and it would be about him finding his soulmate, with some SonicXAmy, KnucklesXRouge and maybe TailsXCosmo. So what do you think? Would you read it? (I'm writing it anyway, so don't be surprised if I'm gonna be busy doing 'nothing'.) You could leave your thoughts in a review or vote in my poll, thanks.**

**Once again, a big thanks to everyone who read this, I never dreamed that a biro-drawn comic idea could evolve into this :D  
Sorry this A/N was long, but in my opinion, the last one always is ^_^  
Sonic says review, it is the last chapter after all :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the character in this story except Jecht. All other characters belong to SEGA, the Sonic Team etc. **


	16. Epilogue

**Okay, I know I said that chapter 15 was the last one, but I also said there might be an epilogue, so here it is! Thank you, _Mana the Cat Magician, RockAngel2220, elblakeo, November Ember, Rachel-1994, silverdawn2010, TherapyAngel, marylolsmith, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX _and _ChReNiC_! Over 100 reviews, thank you so much everyone! ^_^ So, here's the epilogue, let's burrow into the mind of Jecht... **

* * *

**Epilogue**

Jecht's ears flattened as he contemplated the earlier events. His mission had been ended before it should have been, and then everything that he'd worked for had been destroyed. Great. Thankfully they'd landed not too far from Dr. Eggman's headquarters, and they'd been able to walk back there. Jecht glanced to his shoulder, noticing a small remain of ash from the explosion. He frowned at it and flicked it off. Eggman had blamed him entirely, refusing to believe for a second that he himself might have helped cause the disaster as well. According to him, Jecht had ruined the entire mission through negligence and idiocy, and was clearly to blame. He'd been telling the green hedgehog just that as they made their way back to his base, although it was more like shouting.

.

Jecht _had_ been careless, he knew, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time to leave the forms at Amy's house. He'd nearly managed to retrieve them, if only she hadn't moved the papers then it wouldn't have happened. He sighed. He'd never expected her to produce a huge mallet from nowhere, who would? Neither had he been expecting her to jam the papers in the hovercraft, causing a massive explosion and sending him far into the distance with his boss. He ran a hand through his bang quills. What was that sinking feeling in his gut? He thought back to his time with Amy and sighed again. He knew what that feeling was: guilt. The tears that he'd seen in her eyes had struck a chord with him, brought him back to his own point of time when he, too had shed tears. Had he made her feel how he had once felt? Perhaps what he'd done was wrong, but... He clenched his fists. The world had done him wrong in the first place! Surely it was only fair to do something wrong in return? "I didn't know what else to do," he whispered.

.

He shook his head, snapping himself back into resolve. That was in the past, and he couldn't dwell on it now. It was just as he'd learned, these kinds of emotions were dangerous and they could drag him from his path. He was already becoming slightly agitated. Amy would be fine; she had Sonic looking out for her. Not that it was any of Jecht's concern; of course, they were his enemies and would be treated as such.

He'd so nearly completed his task; it pained him to think about it. He'd been so close.

Maybe if I'd stopped her from grabbing the files...

He kicked the grey wall in frustration, leaving an echo in the large building. He gulped.

.

Hopefully Dr. Eggman hadn't heard that, Jecht was in enough trouble already. He hadn't been fired, of course, because the doctor was extremely low in employees, with Jecht being the only one aside from the robots. But he couldn't help feeling somewhat nervous about the possibility of losing his job, or _worse_ if Dr. Eggman was angry enough. Jecht looked around, noting the absence of the evil human, and sighed.

He'd really messed up, and it had only been his first assignment. But one thing was for sure. The next task that the doctor gave him would _not_ be unsuccessful.

I'm gonna make things right, he thought fiercely. I swear it. I'm not going to wreck any more chances. I'll complete one of his missions if it's the last thing I do.

* * *

**So that was the end of S.o.S ^_^ (I mean it this time :P) It was short, I know, but it was only a little epilogue. I didn't want to explore Jecht's mind too much, I'll leave that for the sequel, which I AM doing because you guys want to read it! :D Thanks, guys! Have a virtual hug! :) ****I will start the sequel soon, please check my profile occasionally if you wanna see updates and stuff. Thanks :)**

**Reviews are grealty appreciated. And sorry, this is a bit cheeky, but what was your favourite chapter (if you have one)? :)**


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